Amortentia
by Greenpeapanda
Summary: What would happen if Hermione smelled Draco Malfoy's cologne in the Amortentia potion in 6th year instead of Ron Weasley? What if Draco smelled her perfume? [HG/DM]
1. Chapter 1

_**Note: First, I do not own Harry Potter or any of J.K. Rowling's characters or works. Second, this chapter may look different because I am currently in the process of editing the entire story. I was getting a little disconnected from writing it because it wasn't quite to the level of some of my other work, so I'm making it better. The plot has not changed, just annoying little mistakes and descriptions. Enjoy!**_

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in N.E.W.T. Potions class with Professor Slughorn who was introducing four bubbling cauldrons at the front of the classroom. Ron was hunched over, near asleep, wondering if potions was _really_ needed to become an auror. Harry was discretely flipping through used potions book he picked up and was trying not to let Hermione see the remarkable annotations that were telling him how to perfect potions and cast new spells. Hermione, in another show of her heightened intellect, reached near remarkable speeds for hand-raising that lesson. She knew every single potion brewing.

 _"_ _It's Veritaserum, a colourless, odourless, potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth."_

 _"_ _It's Polyjuice Potion, sir."_

 _"_ _It's Amortentia."_

 _"_ _It is indeed. It's almost foolish to ask,"_ said Slughorn, who was looking mightily impressed, _"but I assume you know what it does?"_

 _"_ _It's the most powerful love potion in the world!"_ said Hermione.

 _"_ _Quite right! You recognized it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"_

 _"_ _And the steam rising in characteristic spirals,"_ said Hermione enthusiastically, _"and it's suppose to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us_.. and I can smell freshly mown grass, new parchment, ink, and a mahogany cologne," Hermione spewed, a blush creeping up her neck.

She looked around to see some students staring at her oddly, surprised to see a response other than 'books', but one student in stood out. Draco Malfoy was turning paler by the minute. Within a few seconds he might be transparent. Why would he—oh. Oh no.

 _"_ _May I ask your name, my dear?" said Slughorn, ignoring Hermione's embarrassment._

 _"_ _Hermione Granger, sir."_ (HBP pg. 183-185)

Draco was mentally shutting down. Hermione Granger, Gryffindor Goody-Two-Shoes and school swot, spilled to the entire class that she smelled his cologne in the love potion. He knew it was his because none of the other students in the run-down school wore recognizable cologne. The other budding teenagers preferred the smell of cheap musk and destitution. Who else in the school could afford to buy their spoils in Hogsmeade and smell like the living embodiment of 'dapper', unless they were as spoiled as Draco Malfoy.

Before he knew it, Slughorn asked Draco to smell the bloody potion. He had every intention of lying his arse off, but when the overwhelming scents of the things he loved most in this world filled him as he drank in the sent, he found himself incapable of deceit. "Dragon hide, charcoal, broom polish, lavender and honey," he blurted, blushing all over his alabaster skin. As a child reared to speak with nothing less than either elegance or witty quips, bumbling over his words like a god damned first year was humiliating.

He dared a quick glance at Granger to see her looking pale and stiff as Nearly-Headless Nick when he was petrified. Only a few seemed to take notice of her strange response, Draco included. Dread was filling his every pore. How is it possible? How could two enemies be most attracted to each other? When did this happen? He shot her a 'shut-your-mouth-or-I'll-make-sure-the-giant-squid-eats-you' glare and she replied with a gazing that could only say, 'only-if-you-do-too-you-pesky-little-ferret'.

All the while, Pansy Parkinson was sniffing the inside of her school robes, not smelling a hint of lavender or honey in her strong, rosy perfume. The Slytherins were quietly giggling at Parkinson's antics and Draco's rather romantic response; he was not going to get away with brushing this one under the rug. Potter and Longbottom were questioning Granger on her suddenly strange appearance, Pavarti and Lavender turning to see for themselves. The rest of the Gryffindors were laughing like a bunch of drunk hyenas, Weasley at their head was joking, "So your most attracted to your mother? That's one way to keep your blood pure."

Despite their own muffled snickers, the Slytherins do not condone one of their own becoming the butt of a joke, and they began to crowd around Ron Weasley like a pack of wolves. Draco, now both blushing and angry, swaggered over to the offender and quipped in his normal, bored drawl, "Why don't you smell it? I bet you would smell Potty over there. You know, with your desperate need for attention and companionship, he seems like your perfect match." He glanced quickly at Hermione who crinkled her eyes in a way that said 'thank-you-for-the-diversion', and he replied with a small, not-quite-a-sneer, smile. He realized this was the first good thing he had done for Hermione Granger purposefully. It warmed him, not in an unpleasant way. He let the verbal fighting around him escalate, throwing barbed comments in when needed until Slughorn finally called back attention and proceeded with the lesson.

 _"_ _Anmortentia doesn't really create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room…"_ (186) Slughorn drawled.

Neither Draco nor Hermione could truly concentrate through the rest of the class. Their minds were drowning in their new revelations. They both seemed to be attracted to each other at the worst time imaginable.

Hermione was internally coming un-glued because Malfoy was most likely a Death Eater, and that would complicate the already convoluted situation she was in. She would never help Malfoy with his endeavors as a servant of the Dark Lord, and he would never help the Order- thus going against his family. It would only gave ammunition to Voldemort should anything ever go wrong. On top of that, she was also attempting to wrap her head around the concept of being attracted to Draco -ferret face- Malfoy. She thought for sure her little crush on Ron that she had been nursing since third year would come out when sniffing the potion, not Malfoy's overly expensive cologne. Now she had a small growing seed at the back of her mind telling her that maybe, just maybe, she was unwilling to admit a deeper attraction to her childhood enemy, however, she pushed the growing thought to the back of her mind and buried it with all the torment he had caused her over the years. She had no idea what to do with it, and it's not as if they could ever pursue anything. There was still a tiny bit of her mind that girlishly giggled, in a way that irritated her to the core of her being, _Draco Malfoy likes me_. _No!_ The overly rational portion of her brain shouted. _There are plenty of boys at this school. One must wear the same cologne. It can't be him._ So, she pushed down any thought of attraction once more, intent on having a better explanation.

Draco, on the other hand, was contemplating the gravity of the situation he was in. With enough reflection while mindlessly staring at his notes, he admitted that the attraction had been there for a while, repressed under his inherited Pureblood ideals. A brief thought wound its way through Draco's mind as Slughorn was describing the brewing method of Felix Felicis. _Would it be different if she was Pureblooded? Yes. Everything would be different_. However, with admission comes consequences, and his mind began to align with Hermione's train of thought. _The Dark Lord will use this against me next time I fail... Snape._ While, Draco considered himself quite skilled at occulmency, when hiding a secret of such seriousness, he must go to a master. With a solid plan in place, he began to mull over her attraction to him. _This will make picking on her much, much more fun._

Even with their distractions, Draco and Hermione managed to brew the day's potion to a quality above the rest of the class, minus Potter who somehow managed a perfect brew. They avoided each other like the plague once Slughorn called the end of class. Draco even stayed later than normal waiting for Blaise Zambini so that he wouldn't leave at the same time as Hermione, and risk being in close proximity to her.

Hermione was fidgeting the entire way to the Gryffindor common room. Ron and Harry were too preoccupied with Quidditch game plans and Harry's newly aquired bottle of Felix Felicis to notice her strange behaviour. She was grateful, for once, for their insensitivity for it gave her reprieve from the inevitable questions that would occur once anyone found out about Draco and Hermione's dirty secret. She contemplated talking to them about the subject, but quickly smothered the idea. Ron and Harry's hatred for the boy would cloud any sort of rationality they possesed. Ginny seemed the next best option, but since she was a notorious gossip and keen to tell Harry any and everything, she was also eliminated. It seemed her only reliable option was Luna Lovegood. The dazed girl was both very wise and unbiased despite her air of lunacy. With a firm plan in mind, Hermione planned to corner Luna at their next lesson with the Ravenclaws. She smiled at her brilliancy and sunk into a squashy chair to study.

()

Later that evening, Draco was lounging in the Dungeon's about to go to Snape's office. He hated to ask for help as it went against his Malfoy pride, but this was a matter of life or death, and as a Slytherin, pride must be sacrificed for survival. However a very clingy Pansy was blocking his way, and he wasn't having any of it.

"Drakeyyy," she whined. "You never spend time with us. You can't leave so soon. It can wait. Stay." She attempted to flaunt her chest in a poorly executed venture to delay him, but he that night was having none of her games.

"Get off Pansy. I have things I have to do, and I don't need you getting in the way," he ground out, lightly pushing her off his lap and standing up. He knew it sounded harsh, but he hated that she acted as if it was third year and nothing was going on.

"Come on. Get that stick out of your arse and have some fun."

"I said no," Draco roared a bit louder than intended. Pansy paled and many of the students in the common room now had eyes on him to figure out what all the commotion was about. " _He_ gave me a mission, and you know I can't fail," he said softer this time, but still with edge in his tone. She had to understand the severity of the situation.

"Okay," she whimpered, letting go of his arm. She sat down shakily next to Theodore Nott who put an arm around her to comfort her. Draco felt bad that he just yelled at Pansy, but he knew it was necessary. He had to look commanding and in line with Death Eater ideals. Any deviation would mean his mother's life. So, he straightened his posture and headed off to Snape's office.

()

"Luna!" Hermione called down the hall to the blonde. When she turned around, she gave Hermione an distant smile and slowed down enough for Hermione to catch up to her.

"Hello, Hermione," Luna replied airily.

"I need to talk to you. Some place private."

"I have just the place."

Hermione found herself inside the Room of Requirement, and it was full of junk. Luna was the portrait of calm as she zig-zagged through the tight rows inbetween piles. Hermione silently followed wondering why Luna couldn't just find an empty classroom or go outside. "At least we're alone. She's quirky, but that's a part of her," Hermione thought. Luna finally found a set of dining chairs that didn't have anything stacked upon them, sitting on the chair closest to a strange broken cabinet, she gestured for Hermione to sit across from her.

Once she sat down, Hermione was about to explain the situation to Luna when she was interrupted. "If he wasn't in such a nasty position, you two would make a lovely couple," Luna smiled knowingly.

Hermione was briefly speechless as she tried to figure out how the girl could know about the incident in her potions lesson that the students attending didn't even pick up on. "Why are you not talking to him?" Luna asked before Hermione could come up with a thought of her own.

"Um. He's probably a Death Eater. He tormented me for the past five years. He hates me. He's a stuck up Pureblood who thinks I'm beneath him," Hermione rambled.

"I think you'll find his opinion changing soon. After all, you're one of the things that most attracts him," Luna smirked.

"How do you know?"

"If you pay enough attention, you can learn everything about a person."

"Couldn't this all just be the Nargles?" Hermione sighed. She was exasperated with Luna's cryptic tone.

"Oh no. The Nargles wouldn't have been that close to Veriserium." Luna stated plainly as if it was common knowledge.

"What do I do?"

"I remember a good quote for this. Oh, what was it? Yes!" She exclaimed proudly. "If you have to ask, you will never know. If you know, you need only ask."

Hermione was beginning to feel that asking Luna may have been a bad idea until Luna stood up and said, "Why don't you try getting to know him better before you convince yourself this never could have happened?" She turned to walk away, but turned back for one last comment. "And don't worry. I wouldn't tell anyone." Then, she left Hermione to her thoughts in the room of hidden things.

He was probably a Death Eater. She didn't want to get to know a repugnant xenophobe! All he had ever done was make her magical life a living hell. Hatred, she told herself, was the only feeling a person with common decency and morals could have for Draco Malfoy. He couldn't be the only male in Hogwarts to wear mahogany-scented cologne. Perhaps it was a wealthy, dashing Ravenclaw, she shakily reassured herself. Malfoy may be physically attractive (once you get past the supercilious personality and near-permanent sneer), smart -he was second only to her in their year- and witty, but that did not mean he was the person Hermione Granger most attracted to. Probably.

(~)

"What exactly do _you_ want?" Snape drawled when Draco entered his private chambers.

"I seek your assistance."

"Oh, so common sense has finally leaked into your remarkably dim-witted mind and now you feel you need help? How momentous. You deserve an award. I'm sure your father would pay for one." Snape deadpanned.

"I need to be a master of occulmency."

Snape paused, obviously not expecting that response but quickly recovered. "And what do you wish to hide, Draco? You should know it is unwise to keep information from _him_."

"It does not matter what the information is!"

"It is also unwise to refuse answering questions from those whom you are requesting assistance."

Draco paused, unwilling to share his disgraceful secret, but in need of training. He didn't want both his mother's and his own death to be premature due to a poorly timed attraction to a swotty mudblood. "I _will_ see either way," Snape warned before Draco could respond.

"Granger," he spoke with destain. "I smelled her cheap, muggle perfume in the Amortentia today, and she smelled my cologne."

Snape internally blanched. It was as if history was repeating itself before his very eyes.

"Could you not pick a better girl than that overly eager know it all?" the potions master droned.

"If I had a choice she certainly wouldn't have been someone who would put mother and I in danger, Severus!" Draco seethed.

"Sit. Try to block me out." That was the last thing Snape said before he attacked Draco's mind repeatedly.

(-)

Draco had beads of sweat surrounding his forehead like a crown by the end of the lesson. If he ever heard 'you're not trying hard enough' from Severus one more time, he swore he would drown the slimy man.

"I shall see you tomorrow evening. Prepare yourself," Severus instructed, a bite of irritation in his tone, before dismissing Draco with a well-practiced wave.

Draco walked bitterly back to the room of hidden things, his personal purgatory. He felt that she should be groveling at his freshly shined, dragonhide boots for the amount of effort he was putting into her safety. He was sure that if it wouldn't save himself, he wouldn't have put up with Severus' lessons. He groaned that he didn't need this on top of the cabinet which he had hardly made any progress on. It was absolutely fabulous. No sleep tonight if he had to make up time fixing that damned cabinet.

()

"Why her? Why the bloody hell did it have to be her?" Draco screamed over and over kicking an already broken dining chair in the Room of Hidden Things. He didn't make any progress on the cabinet that night. It was past midnight, and Draco was taking out his frustrations with the world on an innocent piece of furniture. First, his father had to join a bloody cult, then piss off the seemingly all-powerful cult leader. Kick. Second, Voldemort, said seemingly all-powerful cult leader, decided to give him an impossible task knowing that he would most likely die in the process because his father botched the mission to retrieve a goddamn crystal ball. Kick. Third, the powers that be decided to screw him further by throwing Granger, the person he was suppose to hate the most in this world, into his life in a new light and labeled as 'the person he is most attracted to'. It just had to be the one girl that possessed an exceptional ability to get him and his entire family killed instantly if the Dark Lord found out. He was really and truly fucked.

(-)

"I hope she's suffering just as much, if not more," he grumbled as he limped back to his common room. He knew he would get three hours of sleep at best. Slumber did not come easily to those who participated in the activities the Dark Lord deemed 'fun'. Stepping silently into the Slytherin common room, he was greeted by Pansy who was draped over the couch by the extinguished fire snoring softly. Despite her annoying nicknames and clingy nature, she was a fairly faithful friend, and he was grateful.

"Pans," he whispered, lightly shaking her awake. "Let's get you to bed." She limply nodded, still mostly asleep, and leaned her entire body weight against him as he lead her towards the girl's dorm.

"Ugh. Millicent," she whined through closed eyes as they neared the door to her room. Deep snoring could be heard through the solid oak door. Merlin knows how loud it will be in there. How did a human being make that much noise just sleeping?

He turned back towards his own room, ready to leave Pansy to perform her own silencing charm, only to he remember that she must have stayed up hours to wait for him. Sighing, he reluctantly turned back, at the risk of sparking her obsession with him again, and lead her towards his dorm.

She followed drowsily and fell into his bed, dead asleep, as soon as she touched it. He stifled a chuckle and put on his pajamas. Pansy was the first to go to bed; 'beauty sleep' she called it. But really, she had no tolerance for staying up late. After he was in his emerald green, silk night pants, he tucked them both in and drew the curtains.

"Goodnight, Pans," he murmured and kissed her forehead. When she gave no sign of acknowledgment, he turned his back to her sleeping form and fell into a fitful slumber.

()

"So, have you talked to him?" Luna asked after cornering Hermione between classes the next day.

"No," Hermione sighed. "I will after dinner. I have prefect rounds, so I'll to try to find him. What do I say?" She was stressed enough with N.E.W.T. classes and Harry's mission. Draco Malfoy drama wasn't helping her keep the level head she desperately strove for.

"Tell him how you feel, and live happily ever after."

"It doesn't work that way. It's much more complicated."

"It's only complicated if you don't have the intelligence to fully understand it," Luna stated simply.

"Getting any deeper into this could get us killed!" Hermione screeched, anger simmering inside her at the thought of her wit being questioned.

A few students, mostly non-Gryffindors who were not used to her banshee like screeches, turned and stared at her outburst and began whispering about it to their friends. Hermione groaned and turned her attention back to Luna who, as usual, remained unfazed by the spectacle.

"Maybe, it'll give you a better reason to live," Luna winked and carried on to her next class with a small waved to a stunned Hermione.

"Her approval of this situation is very disturbing," Hermione grumbled as she stomped off to her last lesson of the day. She needed a strong focus for her Apparition class, so she began reciting the ingredients to Polyjuice to clear away her worries.

"3 measures fluxweed, 2 bundles knotgrass, stir..."

()

She managed to banish all thoughts of Malfoy for the entirety of her class and didn't get splinched- something that could not be said for the other half of her class. However, no sooner did the lesson end and thoughts of 'The Amortentia Incident', as she dubbed it, came flooding back like a tidal wave. In desperation for a sense of mental order, she began to mentally prepare her talk with Malfoy later that night. Surely nothing could go wrong.

 _ **A.N. As I noted in the beginning, I am currently editing this story, so chapter releases may be a bit more sporadic. I am not giving up on this story, I promise, I was merely getting annoyed by it.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters no matter how much I wish I do.**_

Harry had Maruder's map out watching Draco Malfoy pace around the 7th floor hallway. "He's up to something. I know it. How about we follow-" Harry started excitedly.

"No," Hermione ordered, just coming down from the girls' dormitory. "I have prefect rounds and I am not letting you two off the hook for running around after Draco Malfoy."

Harry pouted and was about to retort that she wouldn't be able to see him under the invisibility cloak, but the portrait slamming shut cut him off.

"Hmph," Harry scowled. "I know it's him. Come on Ron, let's go after him!"

"Sorry, mate," Ron replied. "I have to finish writing my transfiguration essay for tomorrow in time for Hermione to check it."

Harry stalked up to his dormitory, angry that his two best friends were not supporting his hunch.

"Malfoy!" Hermione called, running up the stairs to the seventh floor hallway Harry saw Draco at. She had never run quite this much at Hogwarts and was gasping for air when she saw him.

He sneered at her and drawled, "Get away from me, mudblood. You're sweating like a troll."

"We need to talk," she demanded, ignoring his rude comments.

"I don't need to do anything, and the only thing you need to do is keep your bloody mouth shut!" he ordered, stalking closer to her in an attempt scare her with his towering height.

He, however, forgot how utterly pig-headed she was before she bit back, "We do need to talk, _Malfoy_ , because I'm not letting whatever this" she gestured between them "is endanger my family!"

"And you think that you wouldn't be endangering my family?" he growled, stalking so close to her they were a centimeter from touching. "Don't act so bloody high and mighty, _Granger_. We don't need to talk. We need to ignore this as best as we can to protect our families."

"What if I want to get to know you?" she blurted.

"Then you'll have to live a life of infinite disappointment. I don't want to know you, and I don't want _you_ to know _me_. End of story."

Hermione always rose to a challenge. She knew particular one was very foolish to pursue, but her overwhelming curiosity got the better of her. "I'll help you with whatever you're working on."

"No," he said sternly. "I don't need you or anyone else's help. I _can't._ " His voice faltered on the word, but he quickly recovered from his mistake and spat, "Now either go run to McGonagall and tell on me, or get on your way."

Hermione glared at him for a few more seconds before stomping away, but right before she was to the stairs, she turned around and softly called out, "you have very beautiful eyes." She didn't look to see the effect her words had on him, she just rushed downstairs and finished up her rounds, eager to go to bed to think through their conversation.

Draco stood out in the open, stunned at Hermione's words. _She likes my eyes. Was she just saying that to get a reaction? No, she didn't even look back to see. Why would she compliment me after everything I just said?_ Draco thought. He went through all the motivations she could have had to say such a thing and ended with the conclusion that either: she was trying to worm her way into his heart to learn the Dark Lord's plans, or she actually liked his eyes.

Footsteps jolted Draco out of his ponderings, and he ducked behind a wall hanging to hide.

The footsteps stopped in front of where he was hiding, and then he heard the familiar drawl of Severus Snape. "Come out of here, boy."

Draco attempted to seem collected as he shuffled out from behind the tapestry, but he failed abysmally. "I do not know how you are planning on completing your task, but if you intend to do so, I would recommend a better hiding spot." He said, exasperation lacing his words. "Now, get back to what you're supposed to be doing or I will not be able to pretend I did not see you out after curfew any longer."

"Yes, Severus," he conceded weakly.

"Good," he stated and dramatically swept his robes in an exit. Severus always had a flair for dramatics and it was one of Draco's favorite qualities in his greasy godfather.

With no further distraction, Draco went into the Room of Hidden Things to give another attempt at fixing his Vanishing cabinet.

"Damn Granger and her unreadable compliments," he muttered on his way to his broken cabinet. "I hoped you were going to be the only frustration in my life this year," he sighed looking up at the broken cabinet.

"Professor Snape," Hermione called. She was on her way back from her rounds when she found him stalking back from Malfoy's hide-out.

"What is it Ms. Granger?" He asked, clearly annoyed. "I do not have time for your needless questions at this hour."

"I wanted to talk to you about Malfoy."

"Mr. Malfoy has his own troubles without you sticking your overly curious nose in his business."

"I want to help him."

"I do not believe you do, Ms. Granger," he addressed her in a low dangerous voice. "We are in the midst of a war. I do not presume that you are as daft as you are acting. Do not lie to yourself about Mr. Malfoy's allegiances."

"You are mistaking my offer to help," Hermione explained. "I know that our situation puts us both in danger, and I want to help keep us from that danger. I want to-"

"You want to learn occumlency?" Snape interrupted, an odd look on his face.

"Yes."

"It seems you and Draco are a better fit for each other than I imagined," he mumbled below her hearing. "I will give Madam Pince a list of books I wish you to read. After you have finished them, we will schedule private tutoring," he declared.

"Thank you professor," she smiled.

"Now, be on your way. I require sleep," he ordered, shooing her back to Gryffindor tower.

She was grinning like an idiot the whole way. She had been secretly irritated with Harry last year because he had the chance to learn occulmency from a master, but he gave up because it was too difficult. Finally, Hermione had her chance and she wasn't going to waste it.

She snuggled into her four poster bed with a radiant smile and promptly fell asleep.

Draco had been working on the Vanishing Cabinet for an hour and he still had made no progress. Thoughts of Granger were swirling around in his head and despite his best efforts, he couldn't lay them aside. "Why can't she go back to being an irritating little swot?" he groaned and fell into one of the few chairs in the room that was not completely broken. _Should we acknowledge this thing we have?_ He thought. _No. There cannot even be the slimmest of chances that it develops into anything more than an embarrassing episode in class._ If Draco had only one shining quality, it would be his devotion to his family. His father was currently in Azkaban, and his mother's life was depending on his success on this mission. Basically, Draco could not afford Granger and her feelings to muck up his mission; his and his mother's life depended on it.

After working on the cabinet for five hours and constantly referencing his 'borrowed' library books on the subject, he finally made progress. The apple he was using to test the cabinet was slightly splinched. It definitely traveled a bit, which was an improvement in Draco's mind. He decided that he wanted to end on a success, so he left the room and snuck down to bed with a smile on his face and lifted spirits. _Maybe Granger was a good luck charm._

Hermione was exiting the library with an arm full of books she could barely see over. Snape attached a note to the stack that read, "A bit of light reading before lessons." She honestly didn't know how she was going to get through these in a decent amount of time. She hoped to start lessons in a week, but it looked as if she might be extending that time frame another week. She did have to keep up her grades if she wanted to be Head Girl next year. Granted, she even went to school next year. With Harry's private lessons from Dumbledore, it looked as if the Golden Trio might become drop outs.

"Did you talk to him?" said a voice seemingly appearing out of thin air behind her.

Hermione let out a soft yelp, and almost dropped her load of books. Once she had them safely arranged again, as one was hanging precariously over the edge, she replied solemnly, but with a hint of irritation. "Yes and no. I physically talked to him, but we didn't talk about _it_. He was very closed-off. I definitely know he is a part of You-Know-Who's army, but I think it's out of self preservation." She stopped at an alcove to set her books down and face her friend fully before continuing. "Is it wrong that I want to keep Harry away from him so that I can hopefully get through to Malfoy?"

Luna contemplated the question briefly as if she were merely deciding between ordering quiche or pancakes at a diner. "I don't think it's wrong to get to know Malfoy, but I would focus more on protecting him. Whatever he is doing will probably harm the Order, so I would try to get him protection, so he can stop what he's doing. You shouldn't put this new-found attraction before the people that need you."

Hermione was stunned by Luna's answer. It was incredibly insightful and nearly sane. "You're a wonderful friend, Luna," she said with a heartfelt smile.

"I know," the other girl grinned, but after a second her face fell serious. "Now, what are you going to do to protect your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Hermione lectured quietly. "I am going to be taking occulmency lessons to protect my thoughts. I think I am going to go to Dumbledore to ask about getting Malfoy under Order protection."

"I can't wait to go to your wedding. Oh, do remember to give me back my memories of this before I'm a bridesmaid," Luna said airily. Her brief moment of seriousness was long gone, and before Hermione could correct her, she wandered off to, presumably, her next class humming an odd tune Hermione had never heard before.

Two weeks later, Draco was dragging himself to his occlumency lesson after dinner, and he was not looking forward to an hour of Severus berating him for his lack of abilities and then another five hours spent attempting to repair the seemingly unrepairable cabinet. He was about to pull open the door when he heard voices coming from his godfather's office. Like the well-mannered young man he was, he stuck his ear to the door to catch what they were saying.

"You're not trying hard enough you insolate girl!" Snape shouted.

"Do it again," the girl said in a tired, but steady voice.

There was silence for a minute.

"I can still see him. Do you want to protect him or not?"

"Of course," she breathed.

"Then, try harder. Tame your emotions. You need to build an impenetrable wall in front of those memories!"

 _So she is learning occulmency also_ Draco thought.

"How?" she sighed. Obviously drained of energy.

"Imagination," Snape drawled sarcastically.

"If you want me to protect him, you need to put in effort also," she admonished.

To Draco's great surprise, Snape did not scream at the girl for correcting him, but rather let out an exasperated sigh and replied, "Close your eyes. Imagine those memories and put them in a box. Then, seal that box in a safe and build walls around the safe. Do not think of those memories once they are in the box. They should be unthinkable when they are sealed away."

There was a good amount of silence. Draco thought the lesson was over and was about to barge in when he heard her voice.

"Try again."

Another bout of silence followed. After almost five minutes, Snape spoke tersely. "Better. With enough force it can be broken, but for your first day, that was not horrible. Practice with stronger and better walls. Once I deem them strong enough, we will work on keeping the walls up at all times."

"Yes, sir," she said weakly, but clear. "When will our next lesson be scheduled?"

"A week from today. We will keep up a weekly schedule unless I deem you incompetent enough to need additional lessons."

"Thank you, professor."

"You are welcome, now go before I decided you are not fit enough for additional tutoring."

Draco could hear a twinkling laugh before he pulled his head away from the door and hid in a dark alcove near Severus' office door. A moment later the door swung open and a head of bushy brown hair appeared. _Granger?_ The girl toddled down the dark hall then turned to go back to her dormitory, and that's when Draco caught a glimpse of Hermione's profile. _She would take occulmency lessons for me?_ He thought incredulously.

"Yes, she would. Now, get in here before I lose my patience," Snape ordered sharply from inside his office.

Draco came out from the shadows and slid into his godfather's office, closing the door behind himself.

"First, never attempt to spy on my office again. Second, refrain from shouting virtually every thought that runs through your mind if you ever want to spy on anyone again," Snape bit. "Now, sit down and have your shields up."

The next hour was torture. However, it was not quite as bad as the weeks before because now Draco knew that Hermione Granger cared. She cared enough about him to take occulmency lessons from a man that berated her at every turn for a man that made fun of her for six years. He couldn't help but wonder how much she would care if he was kind to her. _Probably more than you can imagine_ came a voice from inside his head, however, it was not his own, but Severus'.

"That girl would love you to the ends of the earth if you let her. My advice is you work hard so that you can be worthy of that love," Severus said softly. He seemed to be reminiscing about the woman he used to love before she died. Draco never knew who she was, but she must have been amazing for his godfather to still fawn over the thought of her all these years later. Draco was also struck that Hermione had such feelings for him. He had girlfriends before, but no girl ever cared enough to do such a thing for him besides his mother. That thought would resonated with him for the rest of the week.

"Now," Severus commanded sharply, completely devoid of the shadow of a sentimental man he was moments earlier. "Your walls are strong, but you cannot keep them up long enough. There will come a time when you are in _his_ presence for a length of time, and you need to be able to keep up your walls the entire time. At least thirty minutes," he lectured.

Snape released him on the promise that he would spend any spare moment he had practicing occlumency.

Draco was so exhausted he felt like he could sleep on the stone floors by the time he reached the seventh floor. However, he quickly woke upon hearing soft murmuring down the hall accompanied by muffled footsteps. He thought quickly of a room that would hide him, and as soon as the small door appeared he jumped through it.

Glad to be safe, he closed his eyes and rested his back on the door, then began to calm his breaths. Once his heart settled down, he opened his eyes to find his normal prison, complete with piles of broken junk, but something felt different. He found his answer when he rounded the corner to his cabinet and saw a familiar blonde lounging on the wooden chairs next to it.

"What you doing here, Looney?" he sneered. Now was not the time for his privacy to be disturbed, and he was rather bitter about her invasion.

She casually looked up from her beaten up magazine and asked, "What do you think she sees in you?"

Draco was very confused. _Who is_ ** _she_** _? Looney couldn't possibly be talking about—_ he thought, but his thoughts were interrupted by burning anger. This girl was putting him and his family in danger because the girl she was talking about was Granger. He opened his mouth to yell at her or possibly curse her, but she beat him to the punch.

"Don't worry. I have already agreed to let her remove my memories when the time is right. I do expect them back before the wedding," she smiled serenely.

 _What the hell is this lunatic talking about? Granger oblivate her? A wedding?_

"What wedding?" he asked in exasperation. The energy he gained in the face of danger quickly drained and was replaced with all consuming drowsiness. Looney Lovegood's idiotic ramblings were not helping him stay aware either.

Draco sighed. It seemed he would not be able to rid himself of the border-line mental patient until he answered her bloody question. "I don't know," he yawned. "Dashing good looks and a trunk load of problems for her to fix."

Luna's eyes fell on him and declouded as she said, "she deserves better than you. Why don't you try to fix some of those problems yourself? Maybe then you might come close to being worth her efforts." Even with Luna's good natured tone, the words still stung. Worst of all was that it was the second time that night that someone told him he didn't deserve a girl that his whole life he was taught he was superior to.

 ** _/Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this update. I loved writing it. I would love to hear your comments and criticisms in the reviews./_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_I do not in any way own Harry Potter or J.K. Rowling's characters. I do have the right to my original plot._**

The next week was even worse. A combination of a lack of sleep, stress, and Snape and Luna's 'get your life together' looks was making his life more like a living hell. When he finally made it back to the Room of Hidden Things Friday night, he was near complete exhaustion. He didn't know how he managed to drag his near-lifeless body to his cabinet, but when he got there, he swore his soul left his body for a moment.

Hermione and Severus were sitting stiffly beside each other waiting for him. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew if Granger was included, nothing good could come out of it. Once he came out of his shock, he backed away a bit and narrowed his eyes, asking suspiciously, "what are you two doing here?"

Hermione smiled a devilish smile and even Severus smirked slightly. Draco's heart dropped at the gesture and every cell in his body was telling him to run as fast as he could, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he reluctantly stayed in place. "Draco," his godfather's voice rang. "Ms. Granger has brought it to my attention that you may not want to serve the Dark Lord. I am here on behalf of the Order of the Phoenix to offer you and your family protection."

The simple words knocked the breath out of him. His heart dropped, cold sweat enveloped his body, and all of his blood drained away. He had never been so close to fainting in his life. _Is this a trick? Is the Dark Lord testing my allegiance? If I fail my mother could die. If they are telling the truth, maybe I could protect her. Maybe we wouldn't always be afraid. But, as soon as the Dark Lord figured out I defected my family would be in even deeper danger. He already proved that Azkaban was no match for him, so father would be a sitting duck. Can the Order sufficiently protect us?_ he thought. He must have taken a good long while, as Granger cleared her throat to bring his attention back.

"We're not tricking you, you know," she said simply.

Draco stared at her for a solid minute, not believing her words. After all, he had bullied her since her arrival to Hogwarts and only in the past two weeks had anything changed. He turned his attention to his godfather, hoping that the usually unreadable man would give him a clue if anything was awry, but he was just as stone-faced as ever.

"How do I know," Draco asked Hermione wearily, trying hard not to give away his desperation for the offer to be true.

She looked quickly at Severus who nodded his head, then turned back to Draco and almost confidently said, "you can look in my mind and see."

The gesture was not lost in him. It was an offer of incredible trust to allow someone into your mind where all of your deepest secrets lie. He hesitated briefly, his respect for her made him feel guilty for wanting to peer into her mind, but the urge to protect his family won, and he cast Legilimens.

Being in her mind felt wrong. Every fiber of his being was saying that this was not okay to do to someone you care for, but he had to. Her mind was full of stress. She cared so much about seemingly everything and everyone to the point of insanity, but in the background was a warm caring current of love. It was nice and he wanted to fall into it, but she drew up memories of a talk with Dumbledore to show him. It felt as if he was in a pensive.

He could feel her anxiety about talking to the crazy headmaster. She was chewing her lip and when the headmaster's door opened, she about tripped over her own feet walking though it. She sat down across from him, ringing her hands, then denying a lemon drop only to blurt out, "Can you offer Malfoy safety?"

Dumbledore studied her for a few seconds, a mischievous twinkle in his eye and replied, "May I ask what brought upon this thought Ms. Granger?"

She sputtered, not expecting his questions, she managed a mostly composed, "I have a feeling that he doesn't want to work for You-Know-Who."

"And what would give you the presumption he was working for Voldemort?" the old man asked genially.

"Well," she hesitated, twisting her ankles together. It seemed to Draco that she almost didn't want to tell the headmaster his secrets, and that warmed him, but he pushed the feeling to the side and listened to her continue. "Besides his characteristic Pureblood ideals which You-Know-Who's followers seem to conform, his father is a well known Death Eater, and he has an unhealthy obsession with something in the Room of Requirement. Enough that he has let is grades drop to levels I know his father would never allow unless there was something he deemed more important. Since the Slytherins have not been snickering about his father sending a furious owl, I'm assuming his father knows about his grades and is okay with it."

Draco never knew that she payed so much attention to him. He always assumed she didn't see anything passed her homework and the problems of the two idiots that trailed after her like lost puppies. Draco focused back on her memory in time to hear Dumbledore's more sullen reply. "My dear," the old man began, weary. "It would bring me great joy to help Mr. Malfoy, however, he has to want to leave and receive protection. Are you sure he wants to defect? If I offer and he refuses, it could put him in even more danger. How do you think Voldemort would react to finding out that an offer of defection was offered to Draco, by a muggleborn no less?"

Hermione took in this information, great conflict playing out across her face and thoughts. Her thoughts tugged back and forth between not wanting to potentially put him in further danger and wanting to help him out of a situation she couldn't imagine him wanting to be in.

"You don't even know," Draco thought as he heard Hermione's past musings.

"I know more than you know," Hermione's voice pushed back. He forgot that she was seeing the same thing he was and could hear his thoughts.

"How?" he thought defiantly. He was worried that if Hermione could know this much about his allegiances, Voldemort knew more.

"Another time," she replied. "Now, pay attention."

Draco begrudgingly turned his mind back to her meeting with Dumbledore. Memory Hermione's face was becoming more resolute, and her thoughts kept wandering back to his state of despair when he told her that he couldn't accept her help. "I think he would take it. It will take a lot of reassurance that his family would be safe, he would want proof, but I think he would accept it in the end. He has been distraught recently, he fears for his family, and I think that any rational person would chose the better protection of their family. Now, is your protection more secure than him staying with he-who-must-not-be-named?" Granger asked Dumbledore.

Draco was stunned that Hermione-Good Girl-Granger actually questioned Dumbledore. The girl he knew would never believe that the older wizard was capable of anything less than pure miracles, but he saw the girl before him openly staring at the wizard waiting for a response.

Dumbledore played along and thought about the prospect she brought to the table. Was his protection any better than Draco's loyalty? "Yes, I believe it would be. Although I will not guarantee his absolute safety, a safe house is a better option than hoping that they continued to stay in Voldemort's favor."

Hermione slowly nodded at this, her face was still very serious as she asked, "How will they be provided for in this safe house?"

Dumbledore's eye's twinkled with mischief. "As they will not be able to leave," he began with a smile, "someone from the order will be tasked with delivering them goods. I considerable initial withdrawal of gold from their vault should be kept by the order member to pay for their needs. I would need someone who would mean no harm to the Malfoys for their past grievances."

"Who would that be?" Memory Hermione asked, dread on her face. Her thoughts grasping his answer before she even asked the question, but her mind wishing for the obvious to be wrong. The glint in Dumbledore's eyes was enough to confirm her fear.

"I think we both understand it must be you, Ms. Granger," the old professor smiled.

Memory Hermione let out a sigh, then without warning, the memory quizzed by, skipping the next part of their conversation. Before Draco could direct an irritated thought at her, Hermione's voice filled his mind. "You are still connected to Voldemort," he flinched at the name, but she continued, "so, I cannot let you hear some of our conversation about confidential information."

He had to begrudgingly admit that her action was wise, that did not stamp down his curiosity, however, and his the lack of fulfillment irritated him. Draco had grown used to being given nearly anything he desired, well until the previous summer, but he shut down that train of thought before Granger caught any of it. When his focus found its way back to Hermione's memory he found himself still in Dumbledore's office with memory Hermione, the only difference being an orange glint reflecting off of the many instruments in the headmaster's office from the setting sun.

"I believe we have talked for more than our allotted time, and it is time for you to head down to dinner." Dumbledore started to stand, but Hermione stopped him with one more question that had been festering in Draco's mind since the beginning of Granger's memories.

"What happens to his father? How do we offer him protection? Malfoy will never accept protection unless we can keep his entire family safe," Hermione demanded, sticking her hand out as if it would keep Dumbledore in his seat.

However, unlike the meddling twinkle in his eye that Draco expected, Dumbledore's face turned solemn. "I am afraid my influence cannot reach that far. The most I can do for Lucius Malfoy is try to convince the Ministry to increase security at Azkaban."

Draco's stomach, along with his growing hope, dropped like a sack of galleons. When Granger was referring to his family he assumed that his father was included. Knowing that the man the he looked up to his entire life would die if he took the deal made Draco bitter. How dare she think he would leave his father to the Dark Lord's vengeful wrath. He began to withdraw his mind when Granger's voice rang though his head, "Not yet! Just wait!"

Damn his insatiable curiosity.

Memory Hermione looked torn. On one hand she truly despised Lucius Malfoy, but on the other, she had worked too hard to protect Malfoy that she didn't want to let his sorry arse cause his son to fall away to the Death Eaters, again. The thought reminded her of the entire reason she was pursing Draco Malfoy's redemption: she didn't want _anyone_ to have to pay for the sins of their father.

A small memory unwillingly flitted in front of the current discussion with the headmaster. In the memory, Hermione could not have been more than six. She was whining to her mother. "But mummy, I don't want to go to the special school. I want to stay with Anna!" Her mother looked down kindly upon her daughter, a loving smile on her face. "Darling," she began, pulling Hermione to look at her. "You're smarter than those children. You need to go to a nice school so you can get into a prestigious university—"

The scene was pulled away abruptly, pushing Draco into the other memory abruptly. He couldn't comment on Hermione's childhood before he was overwhelmed with Hermione's reply in her memory with Dumbledore.

"No," she said quietly, but defiantly. "There must be another way." She was growing angry. Dumbledore's lack of drive to help Draco pushed her into much more than irritation. Why was the seemingly all powerful man willing to let his own hand die to find horcruxes, but sticking his neck out a bit to save an innocent boy's wanker of a father was too much. Her rational half understood Dumbledore's reasoning, but she would not— could not let one bump let her down.

"I'm sorry Miss Granger, but I will loose all of my influence in the Ministry if I break Lucius out of prison, and you know that the Order needs every bit of help we can get. However, there are two men that may be willing to assist you. One knows how to get out of Azkaban, and the other is good friends with Lucius," Dumbledore suggested, mischief glinting from his clear blue eyes again. The sight gave Hermione hope again, despite his suggestion being borderline ludicrous.

"Sirius and Professor Snape?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"I believe Severus has been guiding you through occulmency. He would not help you if he either did not support your cause or did not have some semblance of affection for you. Don't be put off with his intimidating appearance. I also have noticed that you seem to have Sirius, how do they put it," Dumbledore thought out loud. "Oh yes," he said, remembering. "Wrapped around your finger." The old man smiled. "I would suppose that if you pleaded your case right, you may find Sirius an uncommon supporter." The headmaster's face darkened slightly and his genial expression was gone. "After his brother's death, Sirius began to regard family seriously. Draco is his distant family, and I believe that he may soften a bit because of that fact."

Memory Hermione nodded slowly, her anger receding slowly and replaced with thoughtfulness. She had been given a new view of two men that were very close to her, and she would need to take time to contemplate the new information. The memory dissolved with a distracted Hermione being dismissed by the headmaster.

Draco felt himself being forced from Hermione's mind. He was so busy thinking upon his new revelations that he forgot to withdraw his mind from hers. The feeling equivalent to the Hogwarts express bludgeoning his skull pushed him back into reality. A reality with two people staring at him expectantly while he merely tried to think without pain.

"Bloody hell, Granger. Give me a second while my brain recovers. Did you have to push me out that hard?" he groaned, leaning against a pile of old textbooks.

Hermione and Snape looked at each other at the same time. Severus with an annoyed glare and Hermione with a shameful demeanor. "He was becoming too well acquainted, and he didn't seem like he was going to leave any time soon," she explained hastily.

Severus merely gave an exasperated sigh and dramatically drawled, "I constantly amaze myself with the amount of patience I have grown since you have adhered yourself to my person. When, you impudent ninny, have I ever instructed you to brutally force a mind out? Are you a simpleton?"

Hermione attempted to take Snape's lecture with a somber expression, but her resolve cracked at 'ninny' and broke at 'simpleton'. She began to uncontrollably giggle, earning herself a glare from their professor. "Are you saying he didn't deserve it?" she managed to squeak out while quieting her fun.

Severus sat up straighter and waved her off. "I'm not presuming your merit, Ms. Granger. Rather, simply attempting to drill an elementary concept through your abnormally thick Gryffindor skull. If the Dark Lord finds that you viciously force his mind out of your own, you show your hand too soon. _He_ needs to believe you do not have walls and cannot sense his presence. Anyone else should be shut out with subtlety. A concept I fear you will never grasp."

Draco watched the exchange from his pile of books, eyebrows raised in shock. He had never seen anyone, other than his father, have witty banter with his godfather. The man usually struck fear into the hearts of those who dare defy him, Draco included. _As it should be,_ said Severus' voice in his head. _Always keep your shields up._ Draco narrowed his eyes at his godfather but said nothing more. Hermione continued to intellectually poke at Severus, Draco observing in awe, until she realized he had recovered from his enormous headache.

She turned to him excitedly, clearly waiting for a response, but she would remain disappointed. Draco was not ready to give a definitive answer without meticulously going through every new piece of information he experienced through Hermione's memories. He had already had his firm childhood believes overhauled during summer, so he essentially had no concrete ideology to base his decisions on. He needed a good amount of time to reaffirm himself that his family, the only constant he had left, would be absolutely safe. Draco took a deep breath before fully facing his two guests and announcing, "I need time to process this." Severus looked like he just pronounced that quidditch was a sport. Hermione's face was fallen, as if she expected him to immediately tattoo the Order of the Phoenix on his forearm.

They both got up to leave, but as Hermione waved goodnight, Severus pulled Draco to the side and growled, "you have a week. If you do not choose protection, I will obliviate you. I will not have your stupidity be the cause of my death."

"What do I do Severus?" Draco pleaded in desperation. He trusted Severus with his life, and he was too exhausted to fully interpret the consequences of either decision.

Severus sighed as if Draco asked him to give up a month of his life to make tea cozies for the house elves. "Do you honestly believe the Dark Lord will ensure your mother and father's safety?"

Draco knew the answer, but sincerely accepting it meant leaving behind everything and everyone he had ever know. Before Draco could come up with an intelligent response, Severus added one last comment. "If you must contemplate that answer, you are either too daft to be in my presence or too stressed to properly function. I am going to believe it is your sleeping habits depriving you of a fully functioning mind, and thus as your head of house, bid you to return to your dormitory."

With a well timed swish of his robes, Severus was gone also leaving Draco to his thoughts.

 _How long will I remain in His favor? Probably not long. Will a safe house truly keep us away from Him? Should I trust the girl I tormented and my godfather, or my father's long time beliefs?_ Draco flinched and delicately rubbed his arm as he remembered the marking ceremony. _Trust the girl._

()

Severus was sitting at his personal desk, head in his hands, attempting to retrieve himself from the pitiful teenage drama he recently found himself a part of. He cared for his godson, but the boy was obtuse in matters of life. How could the boy not see the Dark Lord meant him no good will? How could he not see the swottish, but caring girl who has a genuine interest in helping his ungrateful arse?

Severus groaned, the girl in question knocking on his office door. Pulling himself up, he entered into his office, then immediately pulled open the door. Usually, the gesture would catch a student off guard and only increase their nervousness, a hobby in which Severus enjoyed, however, Hermione merely nodded and stood past him into his office. Glaring at the girl, he slammed the door and sat behind his desk, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught of questions he would inevitably be forced to endure.

"Do you think he will defect?" she asked quietly, staring at her own hands.

He attempted to see inside her thoughts to gauge her level of worry, but her occlumency shields were up. Impressive.

"I do not presume to know Draco's mind," Severus drawled, cool boredom lacing his tone. However, all it too was a genuine worried look from Hermione to soften his resolve. "I think will enough persuasion he will," Severus sighed.

Hermione rung her hands, anxiety riddled. "I don't want him to chose the wrong side. How else can I help?" she pleaded.

Care for his godson came before appearances at the moment, and Severus said, "All you and I can do is care. It is one thing Draco has lacked in life and he desperately wants. Even if he doesn't know it."

Before he knew it, Severus was enveloped in bushy hair, Hermione's hug taking him off guard. He stood stiff for a brief moment before lightly patting the strange girl on the back, hoping she would sense his discomfort and detach herself. "Thank you," she mumbled into his robes before pulling away, a hint of embarrassment colouring her cheeks. "Goodnight," she said softly and raced out of his office into the dark.

After shutting and locking his door, Severus dragged himself to bed grumbling to himself about having affection for two teenagers being more than enough to redeem himself of any past grievances.

 ** _/Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was written with the song 'Do Better' by Say Anything in mind- just if you wanna listen. I know updates are far apart, but I hope you keep with this story; it is one of my favorites. I would love to hear your comments and criticisms in the reviews./_**

 ** _P.S. This story will update infrequently until I am finished writing Faults and Prejudices. So, if you want to read more of my writing that is update more often, there you go._**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Yes, I am still updating this fan fiction- and the other one too! Life is a messy thing sometimes. Just a reminder: I still don't own Harry Potter or any of J.K. Rowling's characters. I do own my own plot and characters, so let's have fun with those.**_

One week later, Hermione Granger was trudging through an essay on Transfiguring semi-sentient animals, determined to finish before the sun set, when Luna Lovegood pulled out a chair across from her's and sat down with a curious face.

"You should write on Nargels," Luna stated expectantly when Hermione looked up from her work.

Hermione sighed. "They aren't real. I have to write on real creatures."

Luna gave Hermione a piercing look, then upon seeing Hermione's worthiness, she explained. "No body believed Voldemort was real and back until Cedric died and Harry and Dumbledore pressured the Minister. It takes people believing and speaking up about it for other's to see what's in front of them."

Hermione listened to Luna's explanation, one part of her mind softening under reasonable explanation enough to give Luna a chance, and the other a staunch disbeliever until it received definitive evidence. "Voldemort was already well documented and seen by a living generation when Harry was advocating for his return. I have never seen previous documentation of Nargels," Hermione refuted.

Luna sprouted a prize-winning smile and sprang out of her seat joyfully. "I can show you!" she beamed, then skipped away towards the shelves causing Hermione to groan and drop her head into her hands. No way was she going to finish the Transfiguration essay before sundown.

A few minutes passed before Luna came prancing back to the table with an armful of tomes. She delicately set the stack down in front of Hermione with the reverence that only a true book-lover can muster, earning more respect from Hermione. Maybe Luna could finally be the friend Hermione had always wanted- no one else understood her love for books and adventure, certainly the Department of Mysteries showed Luna's courage and desire for adventure. Interrupting her thoughts, Luna pressed an open book into Hermione's hands. _Magical Creatures Vol. 2_ by Annora Belluaos. The page was clearly titled _Nargels_ with a moving drawing of a devilish looking creature, it's hands like spindley claws, and its pointed face pulled up in a smirk like a duplicitous armadillo but skinnier and more human. It was creepy to say the least.

Scanning the passage, Belluaos wrote that the Nargels were adept at hiding, mischievous, and had a penchant for thievery- nearly everything Luna had mentioned about Nargles. The passage was short, mostly due to the lack of observation due to vanishing instruments, but the last sentence caught Hermione's attention. _The Nargle seems to show itself to only those who have a free mind and believe, however the behaviour does not stop their thievery._

Before she could comment, book after book was shoved into Hermione's hands, all open to articles on the mysterious Nargle. One description from a small novel was written by Newt Scamander himself. Seeing proof from a accredited author rang deeply in Hermione; maybe she had misjudged all along. Every article placed under her nose held the same information with little deviation. The Nargles were hard to catch, invisible most of the time, and devious thieves that only showed themselves to those least likely to be listened to.

Absorbing the information slowly, Hermione began to think out loud. "It would take a team of people with every tool being guarded carefully by its own person. Then, four others would watch the environment and track the information coming in from the instruments. Items specifically unwatched for stealing should be set in the middle of a rind of guarded instruments..." Hermione mumbled and trailed off. When she had organized her thoughts, she looked up to find her friend glowing, and she couldn't help but give Luna a smile. They were a team now and the two sat for hours talking about how to catch Nargles and what laws of Transfiguration would apply to them.

(~)

Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy was talking with his godfather in his heavily warded office.

"Would we truly be safe just hidden away in a safe house? Would my father even agree to flee?" Draco asked, worry lacing every syllable. Today was the day his answer was due, and every time he contemplated Hermione's offer, he seemed more and more hesitant.

Severus let out a 'Your-teenage-drama-is-pitiful-why-am-I-even-here' sigh. "What other choice do you have?" the older man ground out, enunciating every syllable to portray his boredom to it's true clarity.

Draco groaned upon hearing the very same question he had been asking himself for the past week. He had one small idea, but he was sure Severus would respond with a glare and a snide remark, but Draco was out of ideas. "What if I faked my death? That way the Dark Lord would leave mother and father alone, and not come looking for me."

Instead of the glare he was expecting from his thoughts, Severus looked thoughtful. After a moment, he spoke carefully. "I do not believe your father would be happy with being confined to a safe house, but if he believed you dead, I do not think he would truly work for the Dark Lord any longer. While that may pose an issue for him, it would be slightly crippling for the Dark Lord if your father was reluctant to fight. Do you find yourself capable of faking your death? You cannot be the careless, imbecile you are now. You must remain undetected. Perfect occulmency. _Do as your told_." The last statement was made through gritted teeth.

Despite the insult, Draco managed a polite-sounding reply. "As the second highest ranked student in my class I feel I can manage."

"This isn't about _managing!_ " Severus bit, rising menacingly from his desk. "People are putting their lives on the line for _you._ This isn't a game, Draco. One slip up and the Dark Lord will not hesitate to kill all of those involved. This is war, boy!"

Draco paled at Severus' rant. He had never seen his godfather act quite so threatening towards himself before. A chill ran down his spine as Draco understood what Severus was saying. Severus would be killed, then Draco, his family, and finally Hermione. Before he could stammer out an apology, Severus began to speak in a low, warning tone.

"If I deem that you are too careless to carry out the plan, I will not hesitate to _remove_ my help. _Am. I. Clear?_ "

Draco swallowed his fear and muttered, "yes, sir."

"Good," Severus said, sneering. "Now get out of my office. I have had enough of your endless stupidity for one night."

Rising from his chair, Draco managed a meager "Thank you" before striding out of the door which cracked shut behind him. He had deep thinking to do before he gave his answer to Hermione tonight.

(~)

"Meet me tomorrow under the willow by the lake around four. I have an idea," Hermione chirped with a grin as Luna got up from the desk they had been sharing for the past few hours. They had discussed mythical creatures, the truth behind fables, and finally finished their transfiguration essay just three minutes passed sundown.

Luna beamed back and gave an elegant wave before traipsing off to the Ravenclaw rooms. Little did Hermione know that the evening they shared would become a turning point in the young Ravenclaw's life. In that evening, Luna finally found a true friend, one that she saw no future without.

Hermione let out a happy sigh and began to pack up her things. Shoving her transfiguration text and many quills back into her bag, she hardly noticed a figure approaching. When she reached out to pick up her copy of Pride and Prejudice that she had shown Luna, a pale hand snatched it out before she had the chance. Looking up at last, she saw Draco Malfoy idly flipping through her book.

As she opened her mouth to tell the arrogant blonde where he could stick it, he spoke softly, effectively silencing her rant before it began. "Is this a muggle book?" he asked, confused.

"Yes," she said, only a small tinge of irritation lacing her tone.

"It's well written," he said with the barest hint of amazement. "It's intelligent."

"Well of course!" Hermione huffed. She knew he didn't mean to insult muggles, but she couldn't help but to take his wonder at the book being intelligent as a slight.

He looked up startled as if he forgot she was there. Realizing he just insulted her and took her book, he tried to explain. After all, he should be nice to the girl willing to risk her life for his safety. "I didn't mean to insult you. I was merely raised that muggle literature was inferior, but I never had the chance to actually see for myself."

"Why don't you borrow it?" she offered with a small, strained smile. Above all things, Hermione loved books and the sharing of knowledge, so no matter how cruel Draco had been in the past, she could not give up the opportunity to help educate him.

He looked as if he was going to take her offer, but realization dawned across his face as if he just realized where he was. He dropped the book as if it had burned him and took a step back quickly saying, "I'm sorry I can't."

He almost looked scared at the thought of borrowing the book. Hermione mentally reprimanded herself. Of course he would not be able to borrow it; what if a fellow student saw it and told their Death Eater parents? She was about to apologize for a lack of consideration, but he began speaking.

"Could you meet me in the Room in an hour?" A beat later he added, "it's important."

Hermione knew the meeting was most likely about his protection, so she attempted to read his face for any sign of his answer, but his face was as cold and unreadable as ever. The only bit of emotion was swirling behind his eyes, and she could not decipher it. Deciding to trust him, she nodded silently.

He gave her a tight-lipped smile, then slipped out of the library as quiet as a ghost. When she picked up Pride and Prejudice to shove it in her bag, she noticed a page dog-earred. She almost ran after Draco to hex him to bits for harming one of her precious books, but when she saw the page he marked, she stood as still as a statue.

 _"_ _Yes, but that was only when I first knew her, for it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintances." [1]_

Her heart swelled and fluttered as she closed the book and held it tight as she walked back to Gryffindor tower.

()

"Hermione," Ron called as soon as she stepped through the portrait. "Where have you been?"

The boys were sitting at a table with the appearance of attempting their astronomy graphs, but Hermione knew they were likely waiting for her to correct them. Usually, such behavior would irritate her to no end, but she could care less that day as it was a very good day.

She dismissed their question, and sat down at the table and began checking their work. Sloppy, but getting better. She made a few corrections, making sure they were listening to her as she explained why every time, then she turned to go up to her dormitory. She was stopped by a hand lightly grabbing her forearm. Harry.

"Hermione," he said softly. "We haven't seen that much of you. What's going on?"

Hermione sat down, letting out a quiet breath. There was no way she would tell them the truth, they were not mature enough to handle it, but she had to give them a truthful explanation. So, instead of telling them about her dealings with Draco, she told them about her budding friendship with Luna.

"I've been studying with Luna," she said simply. The boys generally let go of her anytime she mentioned studies. "We've become good friends." She knew that Harry and Ron would not get angry with her for having another friend, but she was sure that they wouldn't understand the friendship between girls.

"Oh. Okay," Harry stammered. He had suspected she was either caught up in saving someone or over-studying for her NEWTS, but he was pleasantly surprised by her newest choice in friendship. "How is Luna?" he asked quickly, a blush gracing his cheeks. He would never tell anyone, but he secretly carried a small crush on the younger Ravenclaw.

Hermione gave him a knowing smile and replied, "she's good. We're going Nargel hunting tomorrow if you'd want to join."

Not knowing whether his best friend was joking or not, Harry shook his head smiling. Seeing that her lips didn't turn up on the right corner like they normally do when she jokes, he decided Hermione must be serious, and thus off her rocker. "You do know that Nargels don't exist?" he said warily.

Knowing that the comment was coming as she had said it many times, Hermione smiled and walked up to her room without another word leaving Harry speechless.

After a half hour of passing time reviewing her Charms notes, Hermione crept out of her bed careful not to disturb the sleeping girls. Tip-toeing down the stairs, she attempted to be as quiet and unassuming as possible in her escape. She knew that there were still students downstairs, but she hoped that they would disregard her leaving as going on prefect rounds.

Though she got out of the portrait without a problem, she did not account for Harry Potter watching her name on a map up in his dormitory wondering where his friend was going off to.

()

Walking into the Room of Hidden Things, Hermione found Draco sitting in a small loveseat that had mysteriously appeared there sometime in the past week. He looked up to greet her with conflicted eyes. She gently sat down beside him making sure not to actually touch him. Although she knew he was attracted to her, that did not mean that his lifelong Pureblood ideals wouldn't kick and push her away.

He turned to her, face carefully blank and asked a question Hermione never thought she would hear from Draco Malfoy. "Do dolphins have ears?"

The question was so entirely random Hermione couldn't help but burst out laughing. A true deep laugh that Draco was internally very pleased for finally being able to cause. Her raucous laughter elicited a small chuckle that he tried to cover up, only making he laugh harder.

When she had finally calmed down, not even realizing that he did not flinch when she touched his arm, she replied solemnly. "I am afraid they do not."

Her seriousness elicited another round of laughter in which Draco joined in. The two giggled for a couple of minutes before calming down. Once the laughter was gone, silence took its place. Not a calm silence that exists only when two people are mutually enjoying each others' presence, but a sort of silence that provokes deep thought. The two near-friends still did not know each other enough to have a comfortable silence, but a silence that stretched for miles. One that reminded the two how little they knew and how far they had to go. It was an uneasy silence.

"So," Hermione began, breaking the silence, "Are you taking the protection?" She nibbled on her bottom lip, sudden worry encompassing her. What if he didn't want her protection? What if she had to obliviate his memories of her and the entire plan?

Draco started choosing his words with care. He did not want Hermione to believe he thought her plan was bad, but he didn't want to get shoved into a safehouse with a furious Lucius Malfoy. "Granger. I will accept your offer of protection." Upon seeing her face grow hopeful he quickened his speech. "However, I don't think pulling my whole family out if for the best. I talked to Severus, and we both agree that faking my death would work best." He scanned her face for any sign of her infamous fury but came up empty handed. Her face was neutral. Thinking.

She spent a long few minutes contemplating his idea. She found all of the same conclusions Snape had. Lucius would be more subdued. Voldemort would be less likely to harm his family as a whole, after all, Voldemort gave Draco some mission probably knowing he would most likely die. Would Lucius' and Narcissa's resistance put them in further danger? If Draco seemed to think his death would give them their best chance, then likely they would be smart enough to subtlety back out. Overall, his plan seemed sound for the protection of his family. But, how would they prove his death? Could he hide away while his family was in danger?

"How would we go about proving your death?" Hermione asked casually.

Draco brightened. She had not immediately shot down his idea. That combined with Severus' slight approval made him feel like he could actually help. There was hope. Immediately Draco hopped into discussion with fervor. "I was thinking that Severus could give me Draught of the Living Death, then when they are burying me, he could slip me a timed Portkey to his office."

Hermione quickly responded, thrilled with the feeling of intelligent discussion. "Let's talk to Severus to see if we could find a less well known potion. If Voldemort is smart, he will test for common trickery. But before that, how about we perform a death scene in front of a few Slytherins that could act as confirmation?"

"Maybe we could provoke Potter into attacking me. After Severus gives me the antidote, I slip into a potion-induced death," Draco offered.

"Hmmmm. I don't think that having a murder on Harry's conscience would do well for defeating Voldemort. The only way to correct that would be to tell him our plan, and he can't keep up occulmency shields. Maybe, I could. I know I'm not killing you."

"You would get expelled and couldn't explain it to Potter. And please, don't say his name," Draco muttered the last sentence.

"Fear of the name-" Hermione began haughtily.

"It's not that," Draco sighed as if he was about to tell her a big secret. "He is planning to put a jinx on his name. Better get used to not saying it."

Hermione's eyes went wide. Jinxing the name would mean that any one who uttered his name could be found. "Thank you," she whispered. "I didn't know."

"Never thought I'd here that in my lifetime," Draco said with a boyish smirk, bringing back the light banter.

"Consider yourself special," she winked.

"I always have!" he exclaimed dramatically.

After Hermione finished laughing over Draco's theatrical behavior, she focused her attention back on problem solving. "I think that it would be best to discuss the actual death faking with Professor Snape. But for now, my last question before I agree is: are you capable of truly staying away. No contact with anyone other than Snape and myself?"

Draco nearly rolled his eyes. No one seemed to believe that he could hide away. Granted, there was a small voice in the back of his head telling him that he didn't want to sit on the side and do nothing, but he shoved those thoughts to the side. He was going to get out of the Death Eaters. He knew he couldn't kill any one. He was sick of the torture and death. He also knew that if he ever set foot on the Light side, they would Avada him to bits. No matter how saintly they seem to think they are, they never saw the grey side to life. The dark ashen colors of being forced to torture young girls, but praying on the inside that they didn't feel anything even though he knew better. The light smoke colors of learning spells to be used for very nefarious purposes, but could also heal and save. Even from his eyes, Draco Malfoy radiated grey. Not light, but not dark. He knew that this war was a battle between the light and the dark. He had no place. "I can. I promise."

She inspected his face briefly for an trace of lies, but came up short. "Okay then," she said resolutely. "We will start discussing your protection and removal with Snape and Dumbledore." Giving a moment for a reply and hearing none, Hermione got up to leave, but before she could walk away, Draco grabbed her wrist. Turning to look back at him questioningly she saw slight desperation in his eyes.

"Do you remember when you said you would help me?" He asked, his voice quivering ever so slightly.

"Yes," she said holding back the questions flooding into her consciousness.

"The Dark Lord put me on a mission. One that if I don't succeed, he will kill my parents and probably myself. Even though I'm going to be leaving, he gets very displeased whenever I report with no progress."

Hermione held back her anger. Not at Draco, but rather the sick egomaniac that deemed torture an acceptable punishment for a lack of progress. Her heart seemed to swell even more for the boy who seemed to have been given no choice. How could his parents put him in such a situation? Yes, Draco was a dramatic, spoiled, little shit, but underneath was a boy that was raised to be that way and faced no other options from his home life. How would Lucius and Narcissa respond knowing their son was attracted to a Mudblood? How would they feel knowing he didn't want to be a Death Eater at all? Sadness ran through Hermione's veins. Yes, Draco had choices, he could have gone rogue like Sirius and broken family ties. But then he would have to fight against his parents and he would have no place to stay, no money to afford life. Most kids, and yes, they were kids, would choose his path. Hermione couldn't blame him, and that's why she took his hand, to his shock, and announced, "I'll help you with whatever you need as long as it doesn't hurt anyone."

He had only ever felt that kind of devotion from his family. He honestly had never had friends who would put their time and faith into him like Hermione had done in the past few weeks. With her hand wrapped around his, he felt like he could finish the vanishing cabinet. Hell, he could do anything with Hermione by his side. Maybe that was why Harry Potter always seemed to win. Maybe now Draco could win.

 _ **I hope you have had a great beginning of the New Year. Please feel free to review with comments, criticism, or love. I hope this chapter has made your week a bit brighter. :)**_

[1] _Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austen. Don't remember the page.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Happy Monday! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I may go back and add a tad more description in the coming weeks, but this is the bones of the chapter. I just wanted to get it out finally. I hope you enjoy!**_

Luna and Hermione were relaxing behind the Greenhouse chatting after a rambunctious adventure that unfortunately did not yield any actual Nargels, however, it did result in Hermione Granger actually gossiping with another girl- which some would say was even more surprising than finding a Nargel.

"I heard from a birdie that you have your eye on Harry," Hermione sang.

An almost unnoticeable blush crept up Luna's neck as she replied, "That must be an awfully smart bird."

Hermione smiled at her friend's obvious avoidance of the subject. "That birdie also heard Harry ask about you last night," Hermione said with a conspiring wink.

A bright smile encompassed Luna's features, her eyes shining past the usual cloudiness they possessed. "I think I might keep the birdie around then."

"He was blushing. Hard."

The statement pushed Luna's happiness over edge- to the point of actually giggling with joy. "What did he really say?"

Hermione was beaming at her friend's excitement. "I believe his exact words were 'How is Luna?' while trying not to look me in the eye, so I wouldn't notice how red his face was."

Luna squealed. "I should ask him to Hogsmeade- or should I ask him to look for Wackspurts with me- oh! What if-" she rambled.

"I think Hogsmeade is a good start," Hermione interrupted. She knew that Harry was still not keen on Nargels, and until she could convince him, he would be more receptive in normal situations. "Watch out for Ginny, though. I think she still likes Harry despite her recent dates with Dean."

Luna didn't think she could smile any wider. "Thank you!" she peeped and wrapped her friend in a bone-crushing hug.

Hermione laughed and squeezed Luna back. The younger girl grinning like an idiot. "We'll since you're so eager to stick your nose in my love life, I felt I should repay the favor," she teased.

"Imagine Draco's face if you asked him to Hogsmeade."

The girls fell into a pile of giggles imagining the stoic Draco Malfoy escorting Hermione into Madam Puddifoot's.

(~)

Draco watched as Hermione and Luna whispered and giggled amongst themselves through the library window. He had been attempting to focus on the latest Potions essay, but his attention was quickly drawn away by the very muffled tinkling laughter that he knew so well. He couldn't remember in all his years at Hogwarts seeing Hermione Granger having 'girl time'. From his vantage point, she looked so unlike the normal girl he was used to. This Hermione was carefree, feminine, and playful. Her shirt had ridden up slightly showing off a sliver of her midriff which was- in Draco's opinion- a tantalizing tan colour. He may have not paid that much attention to her in all their years at school, but he had never seen her like this before. Even at the Yule ball, where she looked practically ethereal, she was still serious. But the young woman he was watching looked as if the world was at her fingertips. Draco may not have taken a liking to Luna Lovegood, but the batty girl seemed to bring out a fascinating side to Granger, and he was grateful for that.

Turning back to his Potion's essay, he attempted to redirect his focus back on his work, but no sooner had he added one sentence about the uses of murlap and a thud brought him out of the only shred of focus he gained back. Looking up, he was surprised to find Pansy sitting across from him. Her black hair was styled into a neat bob through the use of no less than ten hair products. Her uniform was pushing the envelope of how short a skirt could be as it rode up her creamy thighs. She was sitting with her ankles crossed in proper lady-like fashion and her arms folded over her chest to both push up her breasts in a way she knew drew attention and signal that she was put off with him. Tearing his eyes away from her chest, he looked into her piercing black eyes which gleamed with irritation. "What's going on with you?" she demanded.

Draco sighed. Pansy had no middle ground in life. She was either obnoxiously clingy or tundra-like with her cold distance. "You know why," he said in a low voice. "I have a mission." He knew already that she wasn't going to buy it, but he hoped that he was wrong. Pansy wasn't like the other Death Eater kids. She never thought that him having responsibility to the Dark Lord as anything to look up to or to be fearful of. To her, it was either an excuse or a power tactic, and she appreciated neither.

"Don't pull that bullshit on me. There's more. You've been even more stressed these past few weeks. I've assumed it was just your mission, but I've noticed you spending extra time away. So, what gives." Pansy was not asking. She was demanding. The witch could be outright ruthless if she wanted to. Both her and Daphne kept the Slytherin boys in line, and Draco knew that there was no hiding.

"Another problem came up, and I've been working with Snape to fix it, but it doesn't seem like it's going away any time soon."

"It's a girl."

"It's none of your business."

"Like hell it is! You are my business, Draco. I don't give a shit who it is, but if she causes you to get killed because you're too busy mooning over her to work on your mission, I will wear her skin as a coat."

"As much as I appreciate this protective Pansy. I promise that if anything, she is helping."

"Then why are you gone so much more?"

"Why else would I Pans?"

"Oh stop trying. We both know that if you were shagging her, you'd be in the corner of the common room with a shit-eating grin on your face telling Blaise and Theo."

"When have I ever done that?"

"Well since you're painfully a virgin, I'd say never. But the way you hid that fact makes me believe that once you do have something to share you will make sure the whole of the boys know all the exaggerated stories of your sexual prowess."

"Damn Pans. Can you remove any more of my masculinity in one sentence?"

"Your tiny pecker would probably fit nicely into a delicate, lacy, pink thong."

"Fuck you."

"You wish."

"Dammit! Will you go away? I need to finish this essay."

"Will you promise to see your friends more?"

"Fine."

She smiled devilishly. She won. "Good." Then she flounced off.

"Damn meddling Pansy," Draco muttered to himself, but found himself smiling as he scanned through potions textbooks. Pansy always had a way of cheering him up. Maybe that's why he briefly dated her- she had this private side to her that was genuinely hilarious, and he hoped that by dating her, he would see more of it. He cringed at the memories of her squealing 'Drakey' in his ear. By this point, he was pretty sure that she was pulling an elaborate prank on him, but he had yet to see Pansy date anyone else to know if that was how she actually was as a girlfriend. God help the person to figure that out.

()

"So, I've acquired some books from the restricted section that I think will help," Hermione explained, laying the books out on the beaten up table next to the cabinet. He raised an eyebrow to ask for an explanation, but she just shrugged him off and kept talking. "This one," she said pointing to _The Magic of Teleportation_ , "has a few pages on vanishing cabinets. It basically described the mechanism of action which will come in helpful when we start testing the finished product. Then there The _Magic of Magical Artifacts_ which talks a bit about the magic imbued in the cabinet. I think our main focus should be to find the charms that make it work and use them on every piece of wood needed to fix this mess." She said looking up at the chipped and broken cabinet. It had gotten to the point of teleporting, but not without splinching, and Hermione was unwilling to test animals until they could make the apple work.

They spent three hours that night pouring over the books they had and offering up ideas. Finally, Hermione came to the conclusion that he needed to get a restricted pass from Snape. They were working off of her 'borrowed' books that had been found by title only, and it would benefit them more to have more information. He could do nothing but agree. Draco was still stressed about the cabinet, but now that Hermione was helping, it seemed more like a complex Arithmancy problem than an impossible hurdle. He still wasn't at the point of opening up to her, but every second he spent in her presence cracked his walls. She had a way of making him feel deliriously special. She took all of his suggestions into consideration no matter how far fetched. She considered him her intellectual equal and treated him as such, which Draco never believed she could do. And despite every mean comment he would make when he was frustrated, she would always come back the next day to help. They fought- no one would believe any less- but now they had an understanding that instead of biting eachother's head off with horrible names, they had a bit of silence, then kept working. It was glorious. And all glorious things must come to an end. For Draco, the beginning of the end began three weeks after she started helping him.

She came in, looking visibly tired and slightly malnourished. Guilt pooled in Draco's stomach as he realized that he was the cause of her state. She still sat at her normal chair next to the cabinet, but she wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as yesterday. "Harry has caught on," she whispered. Draco's stomach dropped. They knew that the secret wouldn't last forever, but they never prepared for when it did start coming out. "What do I do?" she pleaded, looking up at him with desperation in her eyes.

"What did he say to you?" Draco asked both out of curiosity and a bit of protectiveness. While he was adamant that Potter not know about his project, he didn't want Hermione to lose her only friend over him. He didn't count Weasel as her friend- he hurt her all too often to be counted as a friend.

"He said that he's seen me disappear off with you. That I'm in cohorts with the enemy, and I can't be trusted."

Draco's eyes flared. Even when he considered Hermione as his enemy, he would always trust her. She never did anything that wasn't going to benefit the greater good in the long run. "We go to Snape then Dumbledore. Potter accepts everything that the old coot says, and if he vouches for you, then Potter will apologize."

"But Draco," she began- not seeing him stiffen as she used his first name for the first time. "If he knows that you and I aren't doing something evil, he will believe you're a good guy and that can get back to You-Know-Who if Harry becomes your new best friend."

Draco sneered at Harry's name mainly out of habit. He was still caught on her use of his name. She pronounced the 'o' at a higher pitch than most people, and his teenage hormones kept telling him that it was adorable. In a show of considerable mental strength, he stuffed those thoughts into a box to keep him from sleeping later tonight, but for now he needed to appear as if he wasn't fawning over her like Pansy thought he was. "I'm sure Severus will account for that. You can always convince Potter that you're using me to spy on the Dark Lord's plans, and he may pitch a fit, but he wouldn't call you a traitor."

She looked to be considering his proposal and coming up with a retort when he stood up and pulled her out of her chair. "We'll go to Severus now, and he'll tell us what to do," Draco demanded.

When they reached the door, she tugged him back. "He may have followed me here. So we need to come up with a game plan. If we're going to use the spying story then we need to come up with how I convinced you to let me in."

Unthinkingly- which was very unlike him- he grabbed her hand. She seemed to be warring with herself, but she never lost grip of his hand. "If we do this, he may remember that day in Potions. It will endanger you," she warned.

He couldn't deny her logic, so ever so delicately, he released her warm hand. His hand suddenly felt like it was missing a piece and he longed to reach out again, but he knew he couldn't. "Okay. What if you-"

"If he thinks that you're friendly in any way, he will unknowingly endanger you," she interrupted. The amount of care in her eyes was enough to drown him, and he hoped for a day where he could let that happen.

"You can walk out, and I'll be disillusioned behind you," he offered.

"No, he'll know."

"How?"

"Shit," she muttered, catching her mistake all too late.

"You've been holding out," he grinned deviously. "I've been oh-so forthcoming with my situation- which puts my family's lives at risk, and you've been keeping secrets all this time," he whined dramatically.

"You're an ass," she muttered, but a smile popped through at his antics. "He has a map of the castle that shows where everyone is."

Draco's jaw dropped. He didn't think that she would tell him anything truthful, and the truth was shocking. "That little piece of-" he started but she interrupted.

"If you say a thing," she warned, "you will blow everything. Harry will get pissed if he knew I told someone about the map. It doesn't matter if I'm spying on you or saving the world- he would never forgive me."

Draco's head was still reeling with his new information that he merely nodded.

"I really hoped it wouldn't come to this," Hermione sighed. When Draco gave her a questioning look, she relented, "We need to become animagi. It's the only thing that can hide us from the map."

"Dare I ask how you figured that out?"

"Ron's rat ended up being Peter Pettigrew. We didn't know until he came out of his animagus form."

"Holy shit. Weasel had the most disgusting Death Eater sleeping with him in his bed. Oh, I will never let him live that down."

"You can't tell him you know without giving me away. Trust me, we remind him often enough."

Draco let out a disappointed sigh. "Fine. Now, when are we going to find time to become animagi? We have occulmency lessons and working on the cabinet."

"I don't know," she whined and laid her head on his shoulder. Her bushy hair covered his face, but it smelled like lavendar and honey which warmed him. He didn't dare move, but he relaxed as he breathed her in. A sudden shot of desire ripped through him, and he tried with all of his might to push it down, but all his body wanted was to wrap himself around her. Ever so slowly, he wrapped an arm around her- she was surprisingly small underneath her baggy uniform, and he felt the need to protect her. Sitting there with her head on his shoulder and his arm around her felt so right it was painful. He didn't know if he'd be able to live without this, but he knew that he would have to try to protect her and his family. Ever so reluctantly, he squeezed her tiny arm, and pulled his arm back. She sat up, her cheeks a bit flushed and stammered out an apology.

"Okay, if we can't do anything but become animagi, then you need to go out alone. I have your notes so I'll be fine. Talk to Severus, then Dumbledore."

"What if I wouldn't be able to help anymore?"

"I'll learn legitimency and we'll talk telepathically," he grinned.

She gave him a small grin and stood up to leave. Without a thought, she quickly turned back and gave him a peck on the cheek before she rushed to the door.

"Some Gryffindor," he muttered towards her quickly retreating figure. He was pretty sure she heard him when she let out a small chuckle, but kept winding her way toward the door. He could still feel her soft lips on his cheek, and he resisted the urge to touch the tingling spot on his cheek. Instead he turned toward their notes and attempted to get Hermione Granger out of his head.

Hermione was disillusioned walking toward the dungeons. Her head was racing with her interaction with Draco. His arm was warm and a perfect weight, and his cheek was just slightly stubbly,. She was just as shocked as he was that she kissed him, but it felt so right. Every night she spent with him, she started to get to know a side of him that she was increasingly falling for. When they were working on the cabinet, he was humble, caring, incredibly smart, and funny in his own way. They were getting along swimmingly, and she was afraid that it would all have to stop. She knew that the closer they got, the more danger they were in, and the more she grew to care about him, the less she wanted him in danger.

Even though Hermione was distracted with thought of Draco, she couldn't miss the light pattering of footsteps behind her. Foolish Harry for thinking he had the upper hand. Instantly she turned around and had a wand trained on their form, silently casting an accio on the cloak. Faster than they knew, Harry and Ron were uncovered from the cloak, still hunched over the map. Another flick of her wand and the map flew to her as well, and both of the boys could only look gobsmacked. She knew that they could only see the cloak and map floating, but it wasn't worth it to remove her disillusionment charm. "I'm disgusted with you both. If you think I'm so untrustworthy, go talk to Dumbledore tomorrow." She threw down the cloak, but kept the Map for herself, putting a disillusionment on it as well and walked towards Severus' office.

Harry and Ron quickly put back on the cloak as to not get caught late at night, then headed up to Gryffindor tower after a whispered debate about following her. Once they got back in the tower they huddled up in the corner of the common room and discussed theories. Ron didn't want to believe that Hermione would betray them by siding with Malfoy, but he too had seen them both sneak into the Room of Requirement together for the past three days. Harry was trying to decide whether it was worth it to go ask Dumbledore about her tomorrow night. The fact that she specified the next day sent off warning signals in his brain. "I wish we had the Map," Harry muttered. He was hurt that she would keep the Map, and if she was indeed working with Malfoy, then he had access to his Sacred map, and that made him sick. After almost an hour of hushed debating, they decided to go see Dumbledore the next day and try to get the map back as soon as possible.

Hermione arrived at Snape's office with a heavy heart. She never wanted to have to take the map from Harry. She knew it would hurt him, but it was necessary to keep their secret. She felt slightly betrayed that her friends would so easily come to the conclusion that she was betraying them. When she knocked on the door to the Potion Master's office, she could hear his groan before it swung open on its own.

"What do you require of me now?" he sighed dramatically.

A small smile graced Hermione's face before it quickly faded and she seated herself. "Harry has caught on to my helping Draco. He believes I am in cohorts with the enemy now. We need Dumbledore to assure him that I am innocent while not making Draco look like he is working for the Order. You of all people know how horrible Harry is at occulmency."

Snape rubbed his ever wrinkling face with his hand. The girl in front of him was both a refreshing bit of joy in his life and a pain in his ass. He supposed this is what it was like to have children, and he was grateful he never found another woman after Lily. "I suppose you are asking me both for advice and to speak to the headmaster on your behalf."

"Yes," she said, fluttering her eyelashes and smiling.

"Draco's theatrics are truly getting to you," he grumbled.

"He got it from you," she grinned.

He stifled a smile, but she saw through it- like normal. The girl was entirely too perceptive. "Why must you stick your overly-curious nose in everything, Miss Granger? You cause me nothing but pain and suffering, and your needless presence makes me want to drown myself in a batch of Draught of the Living Death."

"I love you too," she winked. "Now, enough of your needless affections. We need to come up with a good story for Harry. I am afraid that if Harry knew Draco was helping the Order, he would be too friendly. Draco is worried that if Harry thinks I am helping Draco out of the kindness of my heart that he will sever our friendship. I need to stay close to Harry to help him with the mission Dumbledore is giving him."

Severus thought for a brief moment. "I think that we can knock out two birds with one stone. We can have the Headmaster tell Potter you are spying on Draco, then when the time comes for Draco to carry out his mission, you can pretend to kill him, and that will appease Potter's opinion of you. It will have to be with a bombarda as it is laughable to presume that you could cast a killing curse. It will also give Draco time to take his potion."

"When he is at the safe house, how am I suppose to tell Harry where I'm going? Harry has been talking about maybe not returning to Hogwarts next year. Who will take care of him if I cannot?"

"Miss Granger, while your overthinking is undoubtedly endearing to my godson, it is not to me. We will cross that bridge when we get to it. There is only so much planning we can do."

Hermione let out a breath, trying to calm her buzzing mind. Refocusing, she asked Severus her final questions. "I need you to tell Professor Dumbledore our story so he can relay it to Harry. Harry will believe his word over mine. I was also wondering if you could guide Draco and I through animagus transformations."

Severus seemed bored with the conversation until she mentioned animagi. "Why do you believe that Draco and yourself need to become animagi?"

Hermione gave him a scathing look. "Playing dumb does not look good on you." Before Snape could berate her for talking back, she continued past his reddened face. "You know about the map. Harry has it and the only way to hide away Draco and I is to transform into an animagus."

Severus glared at her but didn't immediately reply. Hermione truly believed he had a decent level of affection for her as he would rip anyone else limb from limb for insulting him. Finally he ground out, "I do not know such transfiguration, but Minerva could be persuaded. I will also ask the Headmaster about bringing her in on Draco's allegiance, and she will approach you with an offer if she accepts."

"Thank you," Hermione said sincerely. A sparkle lit her eye, and she reached down to the bag she always carried. Severus couldn't help but be minorly curious as to her change in demeanor. Finally, his curiosity was sedated when she pulled out a plate of sweets. There was a stasis charm placed on them, and the smell emanating from the biscuits and cakes were tantalizing. She set them on his desk and grinned. "It's the least I could do for your efforts. The house elves are so scared of me by this point that they practically throw food at me to make me go away."

A smile cracked from the corner of Severus' grim expression. She was a bit of a terror to the elves and it was amusing to see their reaction to her misplaced affections. He didn't say anything, but Hermione knew he was thankful, after all- she acquired his favorites. He was touched by the sentiment that she actually took the time to observe his eating habits and find his favorite sweets.

She left without a word, but Severus could feel her caring lingering in his office. It amazed him that after all the abuse he dealt, she still found kindness for him- she saw through his horrid demeanor. He found his small smile stretching into an uncomfortable grin as he sorted through the plate of sweets. Despite being a right pain in his ass, he decided that he would keep her around.

(~)

The next night Hermione bounced into the Room. She was radiating joy and Draco was a bit on edge with her change in attitude. She plopped down on her chair and looked up at him with bright, beautiful eyes and a winning smile. "What did you do?" he asked warily.

She attempted to look offended- clutching her chest and rolling her eyes. "Me? Why would you possibly think that I did something?" she gasped.

Looking amused, Draco replied thoughtfully, "Well, for one, you are entirely too happy. Second, Potter didn't attempt to hang you all day, so I assume you got your way. Now, tell me." Draco sat down and leaned forward like Ginny when she wanted gossip.

"First," Hermione started, still acting dramatically, "I am always happy. I am a happy person." She grinned brightly at this, then transformed into her normal, slightly serious self. "Harry has forgiven me- he even apologized. After all, I am a spy."

Draco leant in further, not noticing just how close he was getting to her until her neck flushed. He grinned wickedly at his effect on her, but moved no further. "You're really milking this," he sighed. "How?"

It was Hermione's turn to grin wickedly. "I caught them both following me last night. I took his map so he couldn't see me orchestrating our story. I talked with Professor Snape, and we agreed that I would pretend to be spying on you. He told the Headmaster who agreed to tell Harry and also asked Professor McGonagall to teach us animagi transformations. She gave in. I'm going to give Harry back his map after a few nights. We also agreed that I would be the one that fake killed you to regain Harry's trust."

Draco's smile grew with every word she said. By the end of her little speech, he swept her up into a hug. Draco was not a hug person, but the girl in front of him was a miracle. She cared so much. She was helping him with the cabinet. She was saving him from a life of being a Death Eater. She was protecting him from her own friends. He didn't even think about it as he swung her around- laughing. After a turn, he set her down and pulled her into him- burying his face in the crook of her neck. Her breath hitched, and he realized just where he was. He was about to release her when she wrapped her arms around his back and melted into him.

It took every bit of self control he possessed to not sweep the girl up into his arms and snog her senseless. She was so warm and soft in his arms. She smelled like everything he loved, and he wanted to never let go of the moment. He started to pull away, knowing that his hold on his self control was weak, but she pulled him back in and made a cute little sigh. His hold on his desires loosened, and he pulled her down onto the couch with him. She curled herself into him, and they stayed curled up on the couch for an hour- only occasionally speaking.

"Draco," she whispered into his chest- her hot breath doing things to him he wouldn't dare admit.

"Mmmm?"

"I'm afraid."

"Of what?" he asked, worried that she held out bad news.

"That this plan wouldn't work. That you'll get hurt. That I like you too much," she admitted.

Draco's heart felt like it burst. She liked him. She worried about him. She was perfect.

"If it helps, I like you way too much as well," he confessed into her hair. "As for my safety, I am much more careful than your friends."

"What do we do about this?"

"I don't know, love."

"Do you mean it?"

"I think so."

There was a paused. "I do too," she whispered.

"Do you think we could ever say it?"

"I think so. Maybe after the war ends when we wouldn't be in danger, and all we have to worry about is the reaction of our friends and family."

"My parents wouldn't approve."

"Neither would my friends."

"We're fucked."

"Royally."

They chuckled at their joke, then eventually reluctantly detangled themselves and worked on the cabinet. Unlike their other nights, they seemed to find every opportunity to share small touches. Every tingling touch reminded them just how close they were to happiness. When the night ended, they embraced, their lips close but never touching, and whispered their goodbyes.

 _ **A.N./ Please comment, critique, or correct in the reviews. I hope you all have a lovely week!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**The next day:**

Hermione Granger was grateful she was an overachiever. Instead of months of meditations to learn her animagus form, just to have many more months of preparation to finally transform, she was already prepared. The summer of after third year, Hermione had wondered exactly what becoming an animagus would entail. It was a fantasy of her's since she was a child to have the ability to turn into an animal and experience the world from an animals perspective. Thus, she began her meditations- just out of curiosity- and found her animagus form not to be the match to her patronus but rather a cruel twist of fate. Her form was a startlingly puffy, brown kneazle. She had never told a soul due to the embarrassment of it all, but she pushed past it for the greater good. When McGonagall began instructing Hermione in the process, she was startled to find the young girl so far along.

"You must keep this mandrake leaf on the roof of your mouth for a month. You need to practice your mediations in the morning and evening- without fail. When a month is up, take the leaf to Severus who will have a potion ready for you. We will meet biweekly to make sure you are keeping up with your chants and mediations," Minerva instructed in her best imperialistic voice. "You must do everything exactly," she warned, "This part holds the most room for horrific failure."

()

"Did you ask him to Hogsmeade yet?" Hermione asked Luna as she seated herself on the other side of their library table.

Luna flushed. "I haven't gotten around to it yet. I think my necklace isn't keeping the nargles from befuddling my brain."

Hermione gave her a playful glare. "We both know that the nargles aren't the problem. Speaking of which, I got some orange rinds from the kitchens."

"After we finish our Charms essay, we can go out and try to draw out the nargles behind the greenhouses. They might actually come this time now that your mind is befuddled," Luna replied in her normal dazed air, but Hermione knew her better and could see through her glazed eyes.

"It's a good thing we're both befuddled then," she said humorously. Then after checking if no one was around, she whispered, "He told me he thinks he loves me."

Luna's eyes cleared up, and a conspiratorial sparkle appeared in her bright blue eyes. "We both know he does."

"It's getting harder," Hermione admitted, worrying on her lip.

"I'm sure it is," Luna winked causing Hermione to flush bright red. "The two of you will be able to be together soon."

Hermione continued to look around to make sure they had no spies. "Have you _seen_ it?" she asked almost silently. Luna's eyes narrowed as they both knew that any touch of sight could be very dangerous if it was exposed at a time like this. Deciding that Hermione wasn't going to go telling Draco, Luna nodded almost imperceptibly. It lifted a weight off of Hermione's heart, and she had the overwhelming urge to get up and hug the blonde witch. Knowing that any more questions about Luna's sight would be restricted to the Room of Requirement, she redirected the conversation to lighter topics. "Harry hasn't asked anyone to this coming Hogsmeade trip."

"Maybe someone will," Luna smirked and they went back to their essays, chatting about mythical creatures and the best way to reheat treacle tarts.

() Two weeks later

"He told me I have to make a move this week," Draco ground out.

"I still don't see how we can make sure no one gets hurt with that bloody cursed necklace!" Hermione argued. "There's too many variables!"

The two had been going back and forth over the best way to make Voldemort think that Draco was trying without actually killing anyone. Hermione thought that if anyone was to get hurt, it needed to be her so that Voldemort thought that he wasn't sympathizing with her. Draco thought that she was being a bull-headed Gryffindor that needed to grasp the basics of not being a goody-two-shoes.

"Then what would you suggest? It's not like this is my mission or anything!" Draco bit back.

Hermione growled at him. She knew that it was his mission, but she couldn't help him hurt someone. "I would use me! I know not to touch whatever it is that you're going to imperius me to deliver."

"I can't risk you like that!"

"Why not? Severus would know exactly what to tell Madam Pomfrey to give to me if I get hurt."

"You're too important to put in danger!"

"I'm not that important!"

"To me you are!"

Silence.

"Draco," Hermione started.

"No," he cut her off. "Let Harry keep hating me. Let my soul take the hit from this."

"You and I would be safer from You-Know-Who if it was me. He would have no reason to think that there is anything between us."

"I can't hurt you like that," he pleaded.

"You know I can't help with it then. I have to keep my position in the Order, and I can't hurt innocent people," she said both begging for him to take her side and not hurt anyone. It didn't work.

"I know," he said resolutely.

Hermione's eyes filled with sadness. She didn't want to have to distance herself, but it seemed like the only choice they had. "This doesn't change us," she finally stated, her bottom lip poking out ever so slightly.

He immediately took her into his arms and rested his chin on her puffy head. "I hope so," he whispered squeezing her tighter as if he could mold her against him forever. "What about the cabinet?"

Hermione sighed. Sadly, she had already thought out the possibilities of this situation. "I may not be able to come in here, but I will exchange books and notes with you. I'll give them to you at the end of defense-that way there's only Professor Snape there to see."

They were reluctant to let go of one another as they both knew that this may be the end to their adventure. Hermione would still keep up occulmency lessons and keep in touch with Snape, but they would no longer be able to be seen together. Still against his chest, Hermione mumbled, "Keep Crabbe and Goyle as guards. Harry will likely try to find you if I'm not spying anymore. I'll continue my animagus lessons. You don't have to if you don't have time- we only really need one of us as an animagus-except if I have any recognizable-"

Draco cut her off with a swift kiss. Their lips only brushed for mere moments, but it was enough to send tingles through their bodies making them wish the moment never ended. He kept a loving hand on her cheek as she stared up at him with wide eyes and an adorable little 'o' mouth. He knew he was in trouble when the mischievous spark lit up her golden eyes.

"Draco Malfoy kissed me. I, Hermione Granger, was kissed by the one and only Slytherin Prince. I'm not sure if I should be running away in horror that you tainted my golden girl reputation with your Slytherin slime, or I should be telling every girl in the halls that Draco Malfoy is an adorable softie. I'm sure they'd love to know-" she rambled, but he cut her off with another, much deeper, kiss that sent fire through her veins down to the tips of her toes. He wrapped himself around her in the most gloriously possessive way that made her mind race with desires she hadn't previously entertained. His lips were softer than she expected, and he was slow and gentle which contrasted severely with his normal personality.

Draco was shocked that Hermione was so eager and deliciously responsive. She mewed every time he dragged his teeth over her lips, and she was more than comfortable closing in what little personal space that wasn't already invaded by meshing herself against his own form. She wound her hands up to grip his hair and tugged at the strands in a way that drove him wild. Everything about her was unleashed, and he tried to drink it all in while he had the time. He didn't know what he expected, but she was even more perfect than he could imagine.

When they pulled away for air, they looked at each other and fell into a pile of laughter. Hermione's hair looked like she was electrocuted, her lips were bright and plump. Her clothes were rumpled, and in Draco's opinion she looked sexy. Draco's hair was sticking up like Harry's, his tie was nearly removed, and his face was a lovely shade of pink which Hermione found endearing.

Hermione rumpled his already messy hair, and he pulled her shirt even further untucked. "Should I tell the girls that Draco Malfoy is taken?" she joked, but she found his eyes were suddenly serious.

"I wish you could," he murmured.

Her eyes softened, and she took his still flushed face in her hands and promised, "One day. If it takes my last breath, we will win this war, and we will have our chance."

"Together," he vowed, sealing their promise with a brief, sweet kiss.

They both reluctantly got up. Draco held out his hand to help Hermione off of the couch. They both looked out of place as to what to do. A minute went by of lengthy silence before a light went off in Hermione's head. "Oh! Why didn't I think of that?" she murmured to herself.

"What?" Draco asked, confused. He had been preparing to say his goodbyes when she started ranting.

Her bright eyes sparkled. "Linked journals! That's how we'll communicate. Do you have a journal? I'll put a Protean charm on it, and we will be able to write back and forth to each other."

"Maybe a modified muggle-repelling charm so no one else but us find the journals."

"Yes! Oh, you're so clever," she gushed, then kept rambling about security charms. Draco was too focused on the compliment to hear the rest of her genius until she called back his attention. "Draco are you even listening?" she snapped, irritated.

"You called me clever," he said, winking.

"If you get distracted every time I compliment you, our relationship will be short," she grumbled.

Draco grinned at her. "What if I told you how beautiful you are every time?" he offered.

She hid her smile and said slyly, "I don't know how well that will work."

Draco stepped into his dramatics and dropped down on one knee. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? No. I think not. For you are more fair and beautiful than the sun itself."

Hermione blushed- never one to be complimented. "Maybe it might work," she whispered.

Draco laughed and took her into his arms again. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

()

That Saturday, Hermione and Ron were discussing Harry's Hogsmeade date on their way back from ditching 'Lav' at Honeydukes, when she heard the scream. Hermione knew what was happening before she saw Katie Bell, dangling by her ankle with pure pain in her eyes. A torn package lay on the ground with a beautiful opal necklace glittering in the winter sun. Ron raced ahead to the scene like a true Gryffindor, but Hermione hung back just long enough to send a carefully worded Patronus to McGonagall. "Bell needs the Potion's Master."

Catching up to Ron, she saw the fury radiating from his eyes. "Death eaters," he growled. She didn't correct him. Instead, she silently cast the spell that Snape had taught her. Katie's eyes glossed over and went blank though her screams still pierced the thick winter air. Hopefully it would be enough to save her mind from the mental torture that was ripping through the muscles in her body.

Not a second had passed when Harry raced up with Luna in tow and his wand at the ready. "What's going on?" Harry demanded.

Luna and Hermione shared a silent conversation in a look. Hermione replied in a whisper. "It was Malfoy. I sent a Patronus to McGonagall. I warned Dumbledore Malfoy might do this, but he thought that Malfoy wouldn't go through with it. Luckily, the warning was enough to be prepared. St. Mungo's should have been notified by now."

Harry and Ron looked at her flabbergasted.

Harry spoke first. "I thought you didn't believe me about Malfoy being a Death Eater?" he asked incredulously.

Hermione quickly spun truths in her lie. "I didn't at first, but after Dumbledore had me spy on him, I didn't tell you so Malfoy wouldn't get suspicious." The actual truth was that she never considered Draco as a Death Eater. Even knowing he had the Dark Mark didn't mean that he had the spirit in him to truly be the evil persona Harry pictured him as.

Harry nodded, but frustration was still evident in his tightly wound form. "Just tell me next time, okay?"

Hermione's carefully placed mask melted and she grabbed her friend in a hug. "Of course. I'm sorry I kept it from you," she murmured in his ear.

"Hey! I think I deserve a hug for putting up with his shit attitude!" Ron squawked indignantly, and put his hands on his hips. "I don't get enough appreciation around here."

The group laughed despite the sadness around them and hardly noticed Severus Snape levitating a stretcher to the hospital ward.

() Later that night

Minerva McGonagall had always been Hermione's favorite professor, but animagus training brought them closer in a way she would have never believed. The two women bonded over their animagus forms, and they found a great deal in common with each other. They both had profound love and respect for literature, and a love for rainy days. Hermione found herself in McGonagall's quarters more than she expected. Sometimes she stopped by to borrow a book she had seen during their meditations, and other times Hermione popped in to discuss a subject she found in her research and found herself in a lively debate over magical theory. Yet on rare occasions, Minerva was her safe haven. On that particularly trying evening, the Transfiguration professor found her star pupil at her door in tears. "Malfoy cursed Katie Bell," Hermione gasped out between sobs.

The older woman merely took Hermione's shoulder and lead her into a personal sitting room. She bustled around to make her weeping student a spot of tea to calm her nerves when Hermione suddenly found herself spilling everything. "I hoped he wouldn't hurt anyone. I know how much he hates it. All he wants to do is get away from you-know-who, but then he goes and hurts an innocent girl. How am I suppose to rationalize that?" Hermione choked out.

"Draco Malfoy?" Minerva asked quizzically. She couldn't imagine why Hermione Granger of all people would be crying over the actions of her school bully.

"Yes," Hermione replied morosely, hanging her head and burying her face in her hands.

Minerva was more than confused, she was bewildered. "Why on earth would you care about his well being?"

Hermione looked up with dreary resignation in her chocolate eyes. "Because I love him," she said quietly. The silence stretched before them, and the longer Minerva stood there, stunned into silence, the further Hermione retreated within herself. McGonagall hardly noticed until she had finally processed an intelligent reply that Hermione's shoulders were curled inward as if she was going to be beaten. It wasn't her student's obvious depression that cracked Minerva's heart, but the young girl's resignation when she believed that her mentor was going to berate her.

"Why do you love him?" Minerva asked softly.

Hermione's body trembled as if waiting for an attack. When she heard no sharp words of disappointment, she replied, though it was hardly above a whisper. "He's intelligent. He keeps up with me- he's not intimidated by how much I know. He actually notices the things I do for him and thanks me. He's funny in his own way. We work on projects together. He gives amazing hugs. He makes me feel precious."

Minerva melted. "Oh dear girl," she professed softly. "Start from the beginning. When did this happen?"

The older woman held her judgement. The young woman in front of her was a level-headed girl, and Minerva refused to believe that she would fall for a 'bad-boy' type out of romanticism. As she listened to Hermione's story, she found her heart aching for the girl. Hermione had always had a penchant for finding lost souls that needed care, and Draco Malfoy was no exception. The boy- while far from Minerva's favorite student- seemed to open up to Hermione. Minerva was stunned at just how resourceful the two were. They used linked journals to communicate, they secured their minds with occulmency, and Hermione planned on using her animagus form to sneak around undetected. Hermione had even gotten Severus Snape wrapped around her finger under everyone's noses. It was almost the end of the term, and she was almost done with her animagus transformation. Minerva thanked whatever graceful God that looked over them that Hermione had never been drawn to the Dark Arts.

Minerva couldn't stand to see Hermione's beaten down appearance any longer, so she pulled the young girl into a hug and tried her best to soothe her. "Love is something to be cherished. I only had three years with my Elphinstone, but there is not a day I don't think about him. After he died, I berated myself for months. You see, I had known him for many years before, and he had proposed at nearly any opportunity he had, but I turned him down for years. I felt that it wasn't time, and we would be better as friends. Then there was a war that got in the way. After he died, I realized that I gave up so much time with him because I let life make excuses for me." A tear fell down the side of Minerva's aging face, and she pulled away from her protegé to wipe it away quickly. Tilting Hermione's head up to face her, McGonagall smiled. "Don't let life make excuses for you."

Hermione's eyes shone with tears as she looked up into Minerva's eyes with a weariness beyond her years. "We will both lose everything. Our family and friends," she whimpered.

McGonagall immediately understood. She had hoped that the Malfoy boy could buy his way out of service to Lord Voldemort, but it appeared that even the Malfoy vaults couldn't escape the darkness that had settled upon the lives of Wizarding Britain. Grabbing Hermione into another bone-crushing hug, she wept for the girl. "You deserve so much more," Minerva murmured. The two stayed in a comforting embrace until Hermione's tears finally dried. When they pulled away, Minerva saw a look in Hermione's brown orbs that she never knew she wanted to see. Her most prized student. Her eager apprentice. Her surrogate daughter was looking up at her as if Minerva held the very sun in her hands.

"You're the daughter I never had," Minerva said, gently stroking Hermione's fluffy curls.

Hermione's face broke into a dazzling smile. "You're the mum I never knew I needed."

McGonagall smirked. "Just don't calling me mum in class. Not that your classmates haven't done it before."

The two fell onto the couch in giggles, and once they finally took control of themselves, life was just a little brighter because they had each other.

(~)

"I didn't think I would find you here," a voice came behind her, and Hermione whipped around, her wand out.

Hermione had been sitting in the hospital wing for a couple of hours- just staring at the pained look on Katie Bell's face. Snape had brought her back to the school's infirmary where half a dozen mediwizards from St. Mungo's were waiting. She had been deemed too unstable to move, so she spent the night at Hogwarts before she could be moved to a proper hospital the next day. She lay still as a corpse in her bed, the only sign of life being the pained moans that would escape her clenched jaw. Flowers of all kinds were overflowing from their vases in her bedside table with little well wishing notes peaking out from the blooms. Not that Katie Bell could open her eyes to appreciate the sentiment.

Hermione had first come to just see Katie's condition, but upon reaching a silent infirmary and a still patient, she decided to use the room for quiet contemplation. She set up camp in a lumpy jade-green winged back chair that she pulled next to her classmate. In the chair, she curled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them to conserve warmth while she began her vigil. Katie's black hair flowed over the hospital pillow and spread around her head like a dark halo. It reminded her of Draco. An angel with a dark halo.

In the uncomfortable chair Hermione contemplated. She thought about her feelings- the ever-surprising warmth that spread through her chest when she thought of Draco, the twinge of betrayal that plucked at her heartstrings when she thought of Katie's screams, the fear- the overwhelming terror- she felt when she thought about everything she was putting on the line to defeat Voldemort. More importantly, she planned. Almost obsessively. Hermione thought of contingencies for every path, then backup plans for those as well. She plotted Draco's removal from the Death Eaters, then went through every possible failure. She mapped out the next year- the trio was likely to drop out, so she made mental lists of supplies to pack, charms to memorize, and lose ends to tie. She went through every way she could hide her parents from Voldemort's wrath. Hermione even reflected on the fate of Severus Snape.

So, when the familiar voice tore her out of her musings, Hermione was not prepared.

"Malfoy. What are you doing here?" Hermione asked in a rough voice.

His hair was out of place, but not the messy head he had when they would play around, but his 'worried hair' where the gel had come loose only at the spots near his temples that he would often run his fingers through in stress. His tie was no where to be seen. He wore only his Hogwarts jumper, a pair of grey slacks, and his normal, ostentatious dragonhide boots. Unlike the other times they had met in public, his eyes were open with emotion and his forehead was furrowed with concern. He looked like guilt personified.

Looking around to make sure they had no visitors, Draco put up a quick muffliato around the two of them. When he turned back to her, she could already see his words in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he anguished. "I should have listened to you. I was too afraid of the Dark Lord to think properly." His eyes flitted to Katie, and his whole body flinched. "I can't get it out of my head. Her screams."

Despite her better judgement, Hermione pulled Draco into an embrace. Immediately, he let out a sob as soon as his head touched her curls. They clung to each other. With the comfort of her touch, Draco began bearing his soul. "I never wanted any of this. I wanted to be Quidditch captain. Finally win a game against Potter. I wanted to make my father proud- not by torturing people. I wanted to actually have a girlfriend- one that wanted me because I was fun to be around and not because I was rich. Yes, I wanted power, but never like this." His voice cracked and broke between sentences. He squeezed her tight when he said something particularly difficult to admit, but he didn't stop until he couldn't say any more. "I know I'm not a decent person. I'm not brave. I fuck things up from time to time. I get offended too easily, and I have a bad temper. But I'm not a psychopath. I hate this."

Hermione cried for him- for the choices that were taken away from. She cried for the school bully that made fun of her for the past five years, because not even the foul, loathsome little cockroach he was when she slapped him in third year should be forced to hurt people. He may be mean, but Draco was not cruel. "I promise I wouldn't let you go," Hermione vowed, holding him close.

Draco trembled in her arms. "I promise, one day I will be better. For you," he swore.

They were too absorbed within each other to notice a bright, golden bond wrap around the two of them before magically sinking into their hearts. Bound by love and sealed with promises.

 **A.N./ I know it has been way too long since I have updated. I have finally finished my degree, and I'm in the process of moving. I am not giving up on this story- promise. I write in bursts, and recently I have been writing the end of this story. Long story short, I am a disorganized mess, and I hope you stick around to see the story in its entirety. I hope you have a lovely week, and please feel free to review with criticisms, critiques, or comments.**


End file.
